Heir to the Raijin
by Syrbyrys
Summary: We all know the canon Team 7, but what if there was another member, descended from the Nidaime Hokage and eager to live up to his ancestor's legacy? His name is Ren Senju, and this is his story. Be warned, this is my first attempt, so I'll apologize now for any kinks which need working out. Please review, I welcome your input.
1. Chapter 1

Heir to the Raijin

Naruto != mine

~Chapter 1~

Ren Senju stood at the door to his classroom for the next year. He bore a startling resemblance to his great-grandfather, Tobirama Senju, which was something that warranted a pair of ANBU operatives keeping an eye on him when he was younger, in case he was targeted by assassins due to his ancestry. After all, in the ninja world, grudges could last for generations.

Ren had, as a result of his unique heritage, been raised and taught by his protection detail due to the fact that his parents had died on missions during the recovery after the Kyuubi attack, where in order to keep up an appearance of being unaffected by the event by maintaining the same rate of mission completion, all ninja available were required to take on as many missions as they could to make up for their losses to the Kyuubi. All of the chunin-level or higher ninja were tired and overworked, and his parents made mistakes, leading to their deaths. The recovery, though still not entirely complete, was to the point that the ninja forces weren't spread nearly so thinly, and allowed a good amount of time for shinobi to rest and recover between missions, preventing lethal mishaps due to fatigue.

Now it was almost Ren's turn to join the Konoha ninja corps. All he had to do was survive a year in the Academy. He steeled himself and opened the door.

The classroom was filled with kids around his age, and almost all of them were clustered into noisy groups. There were two largish groups which stood out. One was in the back corner of the room, and was comprised of an Akimichi, judging by his rotundity and the spirals on his cheeks, a Nara, if the head on the desk was anything to go by, and an Aburame, based upon the dark sunglasses and a jacket which hid his features from view. Additionally, a blue-haired, pale-eyed Hyuuga, and a feral, fang-marked Inuzuka, a white puppy in his hood, its paws on his head, were in that group. Across the room was a boy who had black hair and eyes, marking him as an Uchiha. He wore a pair of white shorts and a dark blue shirt with his Clan's distinctive red-and-white fan emblazoned upon the back, erasing all doubt as to who he was. Around him was a large group of what could only be described as fangirls.

Ren strode into the classroom and looked to the teacher for instructions. "Ah, right, we have a new student. He will be joining the class until graduation. If you will please introduce yourself," the scarred chunin instructor prompted, eliciting a sigh from the Senju. "My name is Ren Senju. I don't feel like sharing anything else," he said in a flat, bored voice.

"How come he gets to join now? We had to go through years of the Academy to get here and he gets a free pass?" the Inuzuka asked angrily. "The reason is, Inuzuka-san, that I, as the heir to the Senju clan and a direct descendant of the Nidaime Hokage, am a prime target for assassination or kidnapping, and was therefore tutored by my caretakers so that I would be able to defend myself or evade capture until help arrived in addition to learning about politics and etiquette, among other things," Ren explained, his tone sharp as he gave Kiba a blank stare which made the dog-user shift uncomfortably.

Without further delay, Ren took an open seat near the back and pulled out a scroll as the day's lesson began.

The year passed agonizingly slowly for Ren. He had excellent grades, and his practical skills were about even with Sasuke's. He and the Uchiha had developed a fierce rivalry, and the two often traded verbal barbs on the training field. In addition, Ren gained a small following of fangirls who defected from Sasuke's group. Graduation came and went, and Ren tied with the Uchiha for Rookie of the Year, but gave the title away saying that he hadn't been trained at the Academy and was therefore exempt. And now today was the day that the Teams would be assigned. The graduates were quiet, at least once everyone had calmed from Naruto's surprise graduation, and nervous. Iruka came in and delivered a final speech before reading off the team assignments. The first few teams were made up of the weaker graduates, and it wasn't until Team 7 that things got interesting. "Due to unusual circumstances, Team 7 will be composed of Ren Senju, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki under the leadership of Kakashi Hatake," Iruka stated before rattling off the rest of the team assignments. Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuuga were put in Team 8 under a Kurenai Yuuhi, while Team 10, a new InoShikaCho trio was assigned to Asuma Sarutobi.

His job concluded, Iruka sat down to do paperwork while the jonin came to collect their teams. The first to arrive was a woman with tousled black hair to her shoulder blades and compelling crimson eyes. She wore a dress-like garment composed of vine-patterned bandages and a single red sleeve on one side. "Team 8," she said, and said team got up and fell into line. The next to arrive was a bearded man smoking a cigarette and wearing a typical jonin outfit, with the addition of a sash and a pair of trench knives, who bore a distinct resemblance to the Sandaime Hokage. "Team 10, with me," he said, his tone lazy.

The members of Team 7 were waiting for their sensei, who was over an hour late. Iruka, finally finished with his paperwork, packed up and left. Naruto, childish and impatient, wedged a chalkboard eraser in the door in an attempt to prank their tardy sensei, while Sakura stared creepily at Sasuke, who was simply brooding at his desk. Ren, meanwhile, was reading a scroll in his seat. "What are you reading, Ren-san?" asked Naruto excitedly. "I'm reading a scroll on suiton manipulation exercises designed to increase one's mastery and versatility with suiton jutsu," Ren explained, not looking away from his scroll. Not understanding, Naruto went to pester Sakura for a date.

It wasn't until almost two hours later that their sensei finally arrived in a puff of chalk dust as the eraser fell on his head. "On first impression, I hate you idiots. Meet me on the roof in five minutes," the jonin said lazily, not looking all that irked by the prank, though it was hard to tell with at least seventy percent of his face concealed by mask, only one eye visible. Ren rolled up his scroll and put it away before he climbed the stairs with his teammates.

Kakashi Hatake examined his team as they assembled on the roof. The first through was the Uchiha, followed closely by Uzumaki. Shortly after came the Senju. He was a bit of an unknown quantity, prompting Kakashi to examine him closely to see if he could discern anything useful.

He was dressed in a cobalt blue short-sleeved shirt with a long-sleeved net shirt beneath and a pair of dark gray pants, taped at the bottom, with a blue shuriken holster at his right thigh. He wore basic blue sandals and his forehead protector was holding his shaggy white hair away from his red eyes. He would have been mistaken for the nidaime were it not for the lack of red lines on his cheeks and chin. He was tall, standing an inch or two taller than Sasuke, and had a thin build. His abilities were a mystery to Kakashi, so he withheld judgement on the albino Senju.

The final member of the team was the Haruno, who arrived barely in time and a bit winded.

"Now that were all here, let's begin with introductions," Kakashi said. "Can you go first so we know what to do?" Sakura asked.

"Very well. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I like many things and dislike a few things. I have a lot of hobbies. My dream, hmm, not going to tell you," he said, not looking up from his book.

'Informative', Ren thought sarcastically. "Pinky, you're up," Kakashi said, indicating Sakura, who shot him a glare before beginning. "My name is Sakura Haruno. I like Sasuke-kun. I dislike Ino-pig and Naruto-baka. My hobby is…" she blushed and looked at Sasuke. "My dream is…" the pinkette trailed off again as she got starry eyes and emitted a fangirl squeal that had both Sasuke and Ren shuddering while backing away.

Kakashi turned to Sasuke next. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I have few likes and quite a few dislikes. I don't have any hobbies. My dream… no, my ambition is to kill a certain man and revive my clan," Sasuke said darkly. Naruto was next. He began loudly, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen, Jiji, and Sakura-chan. I dislike the three minutes it takes to prepare ramen and Sasuke. My hobby is training, and my dream is to become Hokage so everyone will respect me. Believe it!"

Kakashi turned finally to Ren. "My name is Ren Senju. I like water, scrolls, books, and blades. I dislike ignorance and perversion. My hobbies are reading, swimming, and training. My dream is to honor my clan by serving Konoha loyally, and to reclaim the Raijin no Ken from the traitor who stole it," Ren said earnestly.

'So we have an emo avenger, his fangirl, a noisy eyesore, and a loyal but enigmatic Senju,' Kakashi thought to himself, 'This could be interesting.' "Meet me at Training Ground 7 tomorrow morning at eight. Don't eat breakfast, you'll just throw up," the eccentric jonin said, giving them a slightly creepy eye smile before poofing away in a shunshin.

Their sensei gone, Ren turned to Sasuke. "So, Sasuke-san, what do you say to a spar?" he asked. "What rules?" Sasuke queried, perking up slightly at the thought of fighting a challenging opponent. "Limit it to taijutsu. No need to use potentially lethal techniques. Where would you like to do it?" Ren said. "We can use one of my clan's training grounds," the Uchiha volunteered. "Lead the way."

Ren stood across from Sasuke on the training ground, in his ready stance. His right hand was around waist level and his left hovered around chest level, while his right foot was forward of his left in a wide stance which resembled a sword stance. Sasuke, meanwhile, was in the opening stance for his clan's Interceptor style. At an unspoken signal, the two clashed. Sasuke initiated the conflict with a fast punch, which Ren twisted out of the way of before delivering a kick to the ribs using the momentum of the twist to power it. Sasuke jumped back and started circling, an action which Ren mimicked. "What style are you using? Because that is definitely not from the Academy" Sasuke asked his opponent. "I am using Yaibaken, or Sword Fist, one of the taijutsu styles that my clan has within its library. It puts emphasis on fluid and efficient movement, and shares many if it's core principles with some styles of kenjutsu. It also targets vital areas to deal maximum damage," Ren explained before their fight resumed, the pair exchanging blows. By the end, Sasuke had come out the victor, though Ren's skill was by no means feeble compared to his own. "Good match. Same time tomorrow?" Ren asked with a small smirk. "Sure," Sasuke said, a shadow of a smile appearing on his face for a moment before his face resumed its normal neutral state.

The next day arrived and the members of Team 7 assembled on the training field. They had been waiting for sensei for an hour when Ren asked Sasuke if he wanted to do a light taijutsu spar as a warm-up. "Sure, I've got nothing better to do," the Uchiha agreed. Like the day before, the two of them got into their respective stances and started their bout.

Kakashi arrived to find the three males of the team discussing something intently in a huddle. Sakura, meanwhile, was enraged at their sensei. "You're late!" she screamed, releasing some of her pent-up frustration at her exclusion from the conversation, startling the guys out of their reverie in the process. "Sorry about that. You see, a black cat crossed my path, and to avoid it I had to take the long way around, but then I would have had to walk under a ladder, so I had to double back and find another route to avoid bad luck," the Jonin explained, ending with an unconvincing eye-smile. "That is simultaneously the most inventive yet least convincing excuse I have ever heard," Ren commented sarcastically.

Shrugging off the sarcasm, Kakashi started into his explanation of the day's agenda. "Alright, since we're all here, it's time for the true genin test," Kakashi explained. "Wait, didn't we already become genin when we passed the graduation exam at the academy?" Sakura asked, while Naruto was confused and Sasuke looked darkly at the jonin. Ren took a thinking pose, running hand along his jaw, considering the portents of this development.

"The graduation test was just to determine if you were skilled enough to become genin. This test determines whether you will be or not," Kakashi explained. "Now. I have three bells. If you get a bell, you stay on the team. If not, you're going to go back to the academy for another year. You have until noon. Come at me with intent to kill, or you will fail," Kakashi said, producing an alarm clock and setting it before placing it on a convenient tree stump and attaching the bells to his belt. "But won't you get hurt sensei?" Sakura asked. "I doubt a fresh academy graduate could harm a jonin," Kakashi said condescendingly, "So, with that out of the way, begin."

The four genin hopefuls scattered into the surrounding trees to plan their attacks. From their hiding spots they tensed as they saw their sensei reach into his equipment pouch… only to pull out his orange book from the day before. Sweat-dropping, Team 7 dispersed to prepare for the upcoming challenge.

Ren was currently searching for his teammates, hoping to team up in order to get the bells. He heard the distant sound of combat and rushed over to its source. By the time he arrived, Sasuke was buried up to his neck in the ground. Ren dug him out and helped him to his feet. "I have an offer for you. I suggest we team up with the other two and work together to get the bells," Ren said. With a somewhat reluctant agreement the two set off to find the others.

The duo found Sakura passed out under a tree whimpering about Sasuke. He rolled his eyes at her single-mindedness, even when unconscious. They brought her back to the real world with a quick pulse of chakra from Sasuke to dispel the illusion. "Sasuke-kun, I thought you were dead," the hysterical fangirl said, glomming him while on the verge of tears. "Hn," came the ever-so-articulate reply from the Uchiha as he pried the hysterical pinkette off of him.

"Now, we have to find Uzumaki-san. I have a plan, but it will take all four of us to pull it off," the Senju said. Heading towards a loud cry of pain and surprise, the three went to collect their boisterous teammate, who they found in a tree clutching his ass.

Kakashi was waiting in the clearing, giggling pervertedly at his smut book. His reading was interrupted, however, by a volley of shuriken from all directions. Kakashi simply drew a kunai with his free hand and deflected the spinning projectiles. What he was not expecting, however, was a cry of "Suiton: Teppoudama!" from his left flank. He looked and saw several grapefruit-sized water bullets approaching at a rapid pace. The jonin quickly jumped out of the line of fire, only to have a mob of orange-clad Narutos emerge from the trees to his front, all brandishing kunai. Seeing that the time for Icha was at an end, Kakashi readied his own kunai and rushed through the mob, leaving smoke clouds in his wake.

Through the smoke clouds, however, came a flurry of knives as the remaining clones all threw their kunai at the cyclops. With some difficulty, he deflected the weapons and proceeded to finish off the surviving clones, only to have to duck a punch as Sasuke attacked from behind with taijutsu. Engaging in taijutsu with the Uchiha heir, Kakashi was forced to leap away yet again by an unexpected volley of shuriken from another angle. It was then that Ren made his first appearance, using Naruto as a springboard to launch hinself into the air, preparing the seals for a jutsu. "Suiton: Teppoudama!" he shouted again, sending down yet more watery projectiles at the jonin.

Kakashi, spotting an opening, then took the initiative. He kicked away Sasuke and sidestepped a clumsy punch by Naruto, following up with a chop to the neck. A quick shunshin and he was behind Ren. Grabbing him him around the neck, Kakashi choked him until he fell unconscious. Sakura, meanwhile, had broken cover and ran to Sasuke's side. Kakashi approached her cautiously, trying to get a clean knockout. However, he did not expect her to spin around, an enraged look upon her face as she held a kunai in each hand and savagely assaulted the cyclopean jonin. Seeing as her form was sloppy, he quickly was able to knock her out with a swift chop to the neck. 'Well, that was certainly a surprise. It appears they might actually pass. Well, that's a first,' Kakashi mused as he hauled his unconscious team to the training posts and bound three of the genin hopefuls to them.


	2. Chapter 2

Heir to the Raijin

Naruto != mine

~Chapter 2~

Reizo awoke stiff, sore, and bound. He looked to the sides and saw Sakura and Naruto on his left and right, respectively. Looking forward, he saw Sasuke standing there, with Kakashi standing near him. "Ah, good. Now that everyone is awake we can continue. Now, Sasuke, since you and your classmates failed to get the bells, I will let you try again. However, first you have to choose two of them to cut loose and continue, while the third will be left here and sent back to the academy. Now, choose," the Scarecrow said in a serious tone, handing the Uchiha a kunai.

Sasuke started towards Ren, intending to free the Senju who had shown himself to be the most skilled of the three.

"No, Sasuke. Don't free me at the cost of the others. Naruto won't get a second chance, and Sakura needs the training from Kakashi in order to advance beyond her current skill level. I will be fine, I have other ways to advance my skills, but Naruto and Sakura do not," Ren said in a serious tone, causing Sasuke to pause.

After an agonizing few seconds, Sasuke turned and cut Naruto free before going past Ren and severing Sakura's bonds. "Congratulations. You pass. All of you," Kakashi said, lowering his Icha long enough for the four freshly-minted genin to see his eye-smile. "Wait, so the bells weren't part of the test?" Naruto asked, confused. "They were meant to divide you, and hide the true meaning of the test, which was to see if you could work together. Remember, a ninja must always look underneath the underneath," Kakashi explained, stowing away his orange-bound literature. "That's all well and good, but if I've passed, can you please cut me loose now? My limbs are going to sleep," Ren interrupted, prompting a chuckle from the cyclopean jonin sensei as he cut down the Senju. "Meet up here at the same time tomorrow. But, before you go, know this. Those who abandon a mission are trash. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash," Kakashi said, becoming quite somber in demeanor. "The will of fire," Ren said, extremely quietly. Sasuke heard him but decided not to press the issue. With that, Team 7 split up for the day.

The Jonin sensei were just finishing reporting in to the Hokage on whether their teams passed when Kakashi arrived in a puff of smoke and a swirl of leaves, Icha in hand. "Yo," the scarecrow greeted the room's occupants, foremost among them Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuuhi.

Asuma was the son of the Sandaime, and bore a strong resemblance in both appearance and mannerisms. He wore jonin gear much like Kakashi with the addition of his sash from his time as one of the Twelve Guardians who protected the Daimyo, and a pair of trench knives. His face was adorned with a goatee, and his ever-present cigarette was hanging loosely from his lips. Smoking seemed to be a habit that the Sandaime had passed on to his son, since the aging Kage was known to light up his pipe on occasion.

Kurenai Yuuhi, meanwhile, was an attractive woman with long, tousled black hair and distinctive crimson eyes. She wore an unusual dress-like garment consisting of wide bandages with a vine pattern running along their center and a single red sleeve on the right side with a fishnet undershirt beneath it all. She was a 'rookie' jonin who specialized in genjutsu who was commonly known among the male population of village as the "Ice Queen", though never to her face, as some poor idiots found out in the most painful manner imaginable.

The Hokage was wearing his red-and-white formal robes and hat, and had a wrinkled, weathered appearance, his face dotted with liver spots. He had an air of a kindly old grandfather figure, but his eyes showed the depths of his knowledge and experience. He was sitting at his desk, smoking his pipe while surrounded by stacks and stacks of tedious paperwork.

"So, Kakashi is finally here," Asuma commented drily. "I got lost on the road of life, and ended up taking a wrong turn at Albuquerque. I had to backtrack and hang a right to get here," Kakashi said, proud of his excuse. His pride was damped, however, when he saw the blank looks the other occupants of the room were giving him. "What? I thought it was quite good," the Scarecrow said, shifting uncomfortably under the scrutiny.

"Anyway," the Hokage said, getting the occupants of the room back on track, "how did Team 7 fare?" "Team 7 passed, and with flying colors I might add," Kakashi said, getting stunned looks. "As this is the first time you've ever passed a team, I must ask for a more detailed explanation," the Hokage said while the other jonin leaned in as well. "The team is probably best suited for a general purpose or rapid response role, as their talents are a balanced mix of offense, defense, and support. Naruto is an almost purely close-range combatant, able to take a great deal of punishment or cover the other three with his shadow clones. Sasuke is a mid-to-close range fighter, with a focus on ninjutsu and taijutsu, who is able to use Katon Gokakyuu. Sakura is the weakest on the team, but she has the potential to become a good medic or genjutsu specialist due to her control. Lastly, Ren tends towards the long-range, but he has some good taijutsu and was able to repeatedly use Suiton Teppodama, which either means that he has good reserves, control, or both. He was also the one who rallied the team together and formulated the basic strategy. He was also willing to sacrifice his chance to become a genin so that the others could advance," Kakashi reported, leaving nothing out. "So, how would you rank them?" the Sandaime asked after a pause.

"Sasuke is overall a high genin, while Sakura is low genin for now. Naruto is in the mid-genin range. Ren is at high genin level. If they work together, they could easily handle a high chunin or maybe a tokubetsu jonin. Overall, they look promising," Kakashi said, ending on an eye smile. "Good. You are all dismissed for today. Bring in your teams tomorrow for their D-rank missions," the Hokage said, turning his attention to the mountainous stack of paperwork on his desk.

Ren arrived home after practice sweaty and tired after a prolonged taijutsu spar with Sasuke. His clan, due to their size, had a clan compound like that of the Uchiha, with a large central building which housed the clan and two smaller outbuildings containing a dojo and an onsen.

He arrived indoors and removed his sandals, setting them by the door before going any further. He then proceeded to take a shower and change into fresh clothing before going to the clan library in the core of the main building to study from the various scrolls within.

It had been about a month since Team 7 had been officially confirmed as genin, and the four rookies were rapidly becoming frustrated with the repetitive, tiresome, and frankly demeaning chores like catching Tora the cat. The cat, a bane on genin teams since time immemorial, was notoriously slippery, to the point that some teams outright refused to take the mission. However, Team 7 had done quite well, in no small part due to the fact that Ren had created a small-scale variant of suirou no jutsu for the express purpose of catching the damnable cat.

The team had also grown in talent, with Sakura becoming somewhat adept with genjutsu and medical ninjutsu. Naruto had gained an actual taijutsu style and gotten a bit more control over his ocean of chakra, with a few basic futon ninjutsu being added to his arsenal. Sasuke had grown in ability with his Uchiha taijutsu in addition to refining the jutsu in his arsenal. Ren, meanwhile, had taken up kenjutsu to cover his close-range deficiencies, and had improved his chakra control and reserves. Overall their teamwork was okay, but there were a few issues. Sasuke and Ren had a good dynamic, but Naruto was always trying to outdo Sasuke, taking unnecessary risks, while Sakura just followed Sasuke like a puppy unless ordered otherwise. Ren, meanwhile, found Naruto a bit exasperating, and Sakura wasn't much better, but he was able to grit his teeth and bear it. As for Naruto and Sakura, they were able to work together reasonably well, though individually they were less of a threat than their teammates.

Team 7 had just returned a sodden, slightly traumatized Tora to his owner's crushing, vice-like grip, having taken much satisfaction in his distress. "The pay will be deposited in your accounts," the Sandaime said, puffing on his pipe, "Now, what mission do you want to go on next. You can paint a house, scrub bedpans at the hospital…"

The aging Hokage was cut off by Naruto, however. "Come on old man, give us a good mission for once! We've been doing chores for months! Give us a C-rank at least," Naruto protested. "The D-rank missions are necessary to build teamwork and help the village. You are not ready yet," Iruka, who was running the mission desk until the next Academy year began, said. "Actually, Iruka-sensei, we have completed more than enough D-ranks to qualify for a C-rank mission, assuming that our Jonin sensei deems us to be capable," Ren said calmly. "I believe my team is ready for a C-rank. Their teamwork is much-improved, as are their individual skills. They should be quite capable of handling a few bandits or low-level nin," Kakashi said, looking up from his ever-present Icha.

"Wait a minute here. With all due respect, I taught them, and there's no way that they're ready for a C-rank," Iruka said. "Iruka-san, you are no longer their sensei, and they are fully capable of completing a C-rank. I know you feel a need to protect them, but they are under my command," Kakashi said, his book snapping shut, while Iruka received an serious look.

"Very well. I think I may have a mission that should do well. You are to escort a bridge builder named Tazuna back to his home Nami no Kuni and protect him until he completes his bridge to the mainland. Iruka, please show the client in," Sarutobi said. The chunin grudgingly complied, showing in a roughly dressed man with gray hair who was currently holding a half-empty bottle of sake and showed signs of inebriation. "I thought I was going to get some actual ninja. These kids look like they couldn't even protect themselves," the client said. "And we expected a bridge builder, not a drunken geriatric," Ren responded drily.

Seeing a need to intervene before one of his genin killed or maimed Tazuna, Kakashi stepped forward. "I assure you, Tazuna-san, they are all capable. And I will be there if there is something that they can't handle," the cyclopean jonin said, giving one of his eye-smiles, though he was slightly irked at the old man's lack of respect for the team that was to protect him. "Meet up at the gates tomorrow morning at nine. Pack supplies for a week," Kakashi instructed his genin, who nodded and split up to prepare for the days to come.

Please, do tell me how I'm doing by reviewing.


	3. Chapter 3

~Chapter 3~

AN- My thanks to those of you who have gotten to this point. Please review so that I may correct any issues. If I can, I will respond to reviews via PM, though especially important info brought up will be addressed in AN's

Naruto != mine

Out by the gates, Team 7 was fully assembled and ready to set out. Ren now sported a katana with silver fittings, a cobalt blue lacquered saya inlaid with silver kanji for 'mizuchi', and a midnight-blue-cord-wrapped tsuka. It was attached to a black sash which Ren had tied diagonally across his body, with the tsuka protruding over his right shoulder.

"I see you're finally carrying your sword," Sasuke said, a smirk evident on his features. "Well, it is our first serious mission, so I may as well take it seriously, and not leave behind a vital part of my arsenal. Also, before I wasn't at the point that I was competent enough to effectively use it in combat, and it makes no sense to carry something if you can't use it properly," Ren said, shouldering the blue courier bag that contained his supplies for the mission. Reizo had expressed an interest in kenjutsu early on due to his lack of close-range potency, and also to carry on the tradition of swordsmanship set forth by his great-grandfather.

"Where did you get that sword, anyway, Ren?" Naruto asked. "This, Naruto, is Mizuchi, and it was my great-grandfather's original sword before he took to using the Raijin," Ren explained, drawing the blade, revealing that the blade had a deep blue color and a wave-like hamon with a thin groove along the blade. "It is made out of aobuchi steel enhanced with chakra metal, giving it its distinctive blade, and it is one of my clan's treasured objects." "If the sword is so important, why didn't we hear about it in the Academy?" Sakura asked, a bit skeptical about the sword's supposed origins.

"It was, in its time, known and feared, but it has since been forgotten in favor of the Raijin, which was entrusted to him later by an old monk," Ren replied a bit frostily, irked that she should insult his blade in such a way.

"Why is it blue?" Naruto asked, distracting Ren. "Aobuchi steel is already a deep blue-gray color. Pure chakra metal, though strong, is prone to becoming unstable and exploding when overloaded, and thus is actually best used in alloy with steel, where it increases the limited natural channeling ability of the steel. In Mizuchi's case it also enhanced the blade's color due to being quenched in chakra-laced water from a suiton jutsu, which affected the chakra metal. Also, it gave Mizuchi a few tricks which I might show you later," Ren said, resheathing the blade.

It was at that moment that Kakashi arrived with Tazuna in tow. Team 7 looked at their normally tardy sensei in stunned amazement. "What?" Kakashi asked, a bit unnerved by the staring. "You're on time?" Sakura asked, while Naruto was shaking his head, Ren was pinching himself, and Sasuke was rubbing his eyes to make sure they weren't playing tricks on him. "Anyway," Kakashi said, "let's head out."

Team 7 was a few days into the mission when they came upon a puddle in the road. The team was arranged in a pentagonal formation, with Kakashi in the rear, Naruto and Sasuke on the right and left flanks, and Ren and Sakura in the lead. Ren and Sasuke were engaging in a debate over whether kenjutsu was superior to taijutsu.

"Sure, taijutsu has a speed advantage, but with a sword you have greater reach and do greater damage with every strike, not to mention that with training a swordsman can easily match the speed of a taijutsu user," Ren argued, not noticing a large puddle up ahead that somehow managed to persist despite a distinct lack of rain in the past few days, and the otherwise dry ground all round.

The convoy had just gone past the puddle when two large nin leapt out and ensnared Kakashi with a chain that went between their clawed gauntlets, which were worn on opposite arms. Both wore gas masks and had a Kiri forehead protector with a scratch through the village symbol. They pulled the chain tight, and Kakshi's body fell to the ground in multiple pieces.

The genin looked on in shock at what just happened. "One down…" the one on the left said. "…and three to go," finished the one on the right. The first to rouse from their stunned state was Sasuke, followed shortly by Ren, who quickly drew Mizuchi. Sasuke hurled a kunai which went through a link in the chain and trapped the two ninja. The missing-nin simply disconnected the chain from their gauntlets and split up to take on the genin.

Sasuke dodged a swipe from the clawed gauntlet and countered with a kunai, but the stab was deflected by the missing-nin using the clawed gauntlet, which appeared to have poisoned claws. The missing-nin was caught unawares, however, by Sasuke leaping back, forming handseals. The missing-nin attempted to dodge but was too late, and got hit by a Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu which left him with nasty burns on his arm and leg. Capitalizing on this advantage, Sasuke pressed home the attack, subjecting the missing-nin to a flurry of taijutsu strikes, until one slipped through, leaving Sasuke with a quivering hand holding a kunai's handle with the blade embedded in the missing-nin's throat. Blood ran freely from the wound onto Uchiha's hand, prompting him to release his grip and let the corpse drop to the ground.

Meanwhile, Ren was forced to deal with the other of the two missing-nin. He swung his sword in an attempt to cut his opponent's throat. The missing-nin deflected the strike with the clawed gauntlet, opening Ren up to a counter. Ren narrowly avoided disembowelment by the claws by leaping back, executing a hasty slash to drive back the missing-nin. Ren proceeded to block or parry several claw strikes, gradually losing ground. In a sudden reversal of tactics, Ren blocked the gauntlet and, with a quick circular movement, forced the weapon to the side, following up with a final, fatal thrust which pierced the missing-nin's heart. Twisting the blade once to ensure death, Ren flicked the blood from Mizuchi's blade and focused some chakra, which caused water to condense on the blade surface, helping to clean it as he wiped it on his victim's clothing. He looked on with cold eyes as the blood pooled beneath the corpse.

Sakura and Naruto looked on at their teammate's kills, disturbed by what they had just seen. Sakura was a bit green and had a hand over her mouth. Naruto, by contrast, was caught between admiration and revulsion. "You now see what is to be a ninja. You get your hands dirty so that others may live in peace," Kakashi said with uncharacteristic seriousness, "Ren and Sasuke just learned this personally. Someday you will, too. But right now, our client owes us an explanation as to why a pair of C-ranked missing-nin from Mist are after him." The cyclopean jonin turned to give Tazuna a piercing look.

After a truly pitiful sob story from Tazuna, interrupted only by Ren beheading the two corpses to claim the bounty, the decision to continue was put to a vote by Kakashi. Naruto expressed his steadfast desire to continue, while Sasuke, after a short bit of thought, wished to continue in order to test his strength. Sakura, despite some misgivings, voted yes in order to please Sasuke. With the majority voted in favor, they were about to set off when Ren stopped them. "Wait. I have a suggestion. I doubt the Demon Brothers are working alone. Their bingo book entry stares that they rely on others for leadership, rarely, if ever, striking out on their own. Their leader probably has more like them waiting in the wings. I suggest we send for backup, like a tokujo, jonin, hell, an ANBU wouldn't be a bad idea. Gato has enough money to hire some seriously strong nin, and we aren't able to take on a jonin and still defend Tazuna if Kakashi is distracted by another foe. And with Gato's resources, he can afford to hire multiple ninja of that caliber," Ren said, prompting some perplexed looks from his teammates, who hadn't heard him speak in so long a streak ever before. "Ren brings up a good point. At our current pace, reinforcement would arrive within a few days at the latest. For now, build camp and set up watch while I send out a messenger bird," Kakashi said decisively.

When help arrived, it came in the form of a sickly man in a flak jacket with a katana on his back, tsuka protruding over his right shoulder. He wore the standard uniform much like Kakashi, with a bandana-style forehead protector with a tuft of dark hair protruding between his eyes, which had dark circles around them that were highlighted by his pallid complexion.

"Team 7, I am Hayate Geko, here to help you on this mission. What is your status?" the pallid nin said, sounding a bit hoarse. "We encountered a pair of Chunin-level missing nin, the Demon Brothers, whose heads we stored in a sealing scroll. They were handled by Sasuke and Ren. We are currently preparing to move on after a pause of a few days to wait for you. We were unable to gather any information other than that Gato corporation is hiring these assassins in order to prevent the construction of Tazuna's bridge, as he currently has a very profitable trade monopoly going in Nami no Kuni which the bridge would jeopardize. As of now, it is unknown as to who else Gato may have hired, but they are probably going to be stronger than the Demon Brothers," Kakashi said in an atypically businesslike manner. "Understood. Now, since we will be working together for the foreseeable future, how about we introduce ourselves. My name is Hayate Gekko, and I like my fiancée, my sword, and Konoha. I dislike my sickness, traitors, and cowards. My hobbies are spending time with my girlfriend, taking care of my sword, and practicing my kenjutsu. My dream is to find a student onto whom I can pass my teachings and my sword," the sickly swordsman said before breaking into a fit of coughing. When he moved his hand from over his mouth, there was a bit of blood on it.

Seemingly unperturbed by his fellow jonin's coughing, Kakashi followed. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. I don't feel like sharing anything else," Kakashi said. "Yes, he is always like this. That was all we got at team introductions, too," Ren said, answering Hayate's unasked question. "Fine, snarky, you're next," Kakashi replied, miffed. "My name is Ren Senju. I like Konoha, my clan, my sword, swimming, and kenjutsu. I dislike traitors, cowards, and thieves. My hobbies are reading, swimming, and training. My dream is to live up to my ancestor's legacy and to reclaim the Raijin no Ken from the traitor who stole it," Ren said, his face gaining a dark aspect which was unusual for the normally reserved Senju.

"A worthy goal. The Nidaime was perhaps the greatest swordsman in history. In his time he was revered by swordsmen from many villages. He is even said to have equaled the Seven Swordmen of the Mist," Hayate said, looking at Ren contemplatively before suffering a short fit of coughing. Once the others had introduced themselves, the group bedded down for the night.

Very early the next day, the group reached the shore and the stretch of ocean that separated Nami no Kuni from Hi no Kuni and the rest of the mainland, and also the water which Tazuna aimed to span with his bridge, a lifeline against Gato's oppressive economic stranglehold over the country.

The team was currently on a boat heading to Nami, with a local rowing them through the early morning mist. Ren looked around, seemingly utterly calm at being surrounded by water on all sides, while Sasuke was a bit uneasy.

The Konoha nin each reacted differently when the bridge came into view. Kakashi was mostly neutral, while Naruto was awed by the massive stretch of iron and concrete. Hayate had an impressed look, and Ren gave an appreciative nod. Sakura's eyes were wide and Sasuke simply 'hn'ed, which was his typical response to most things.

The group reached the opposite shore and disembarked with Tazuna muttering his thanks to the rower and passing him a few bills for his trouble. The party then set out towards Tazuna's home, the genin paranoid due to their encounter with the Demon Brothers earlier. An especially twitchy Naruto saw movement in a bush and tossed a kunai at it, while Ren did the same seemingly on reflex. It ended up being a white rabbit who sat cowering beneath the knives.

Sakura instantly began scolding Naruto and Ren for almost killing the poor cute bunny, not noticing a very important detail. "That rabbit is the wrong color. At this time of year it should have a brown coat, not white. It must have been raised indoors and used as a substitution," Kakashi thought aloud. "Get down!" he suddenly yelled, pulling down Tazuna as he hit the dirt. The team followed suit as a massive blade which looked like an oversized cleaver flew overhead, spinning through the air with an ominous sound.

When the enormous blade finally thudded into place embedded deep into the trunk of a nearby tree. It's apparent owner was crouched on the proportionally long hilt, facing away from the group. He then jumped down facing the group and yanked his sword free.

The man was tall and muscular, and wore camouflage arm warmers and pants in a pattern resembling cow spots. His spiky dark hair was held back with a crooked Kirigakure forehead protector with a vertical slash through the village symbol. His face and neck were wrapped in bandages, concealing them from view. He was shirtless, his chest clothed only with a single leather strap, presumably to hold the massive sword which he wielded.

The sword itself was a marvel of a blade. It was a massive slab of steel, stretching on without a flaw visible in the steel, the expanse of cold metal broken only by a circular cutout in the middle of the blade near the top and another semicircular one out of the edge near the base of the blade. It was a brutal, vicious blade made for cleaving flesh and bone and nothing else.

"Kubikiri Bocho," Ren and Hayate said simultaneously, looking in awe at the blade. "What?" Ren asked, Mizuchi drawn, as his team gave him an odd look, "What kind of swordsman wouldn't be able to recognize one of the blades of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist? Especially the blade of the Demon of the Bloody Mist, Zabuza Momochi, who was forced to flee after an attempted assassination of the Sandaime Mizukage."

"Not bad, kid. It appears you have the Mizuchi once wielded by the Nidaime Hokage. Now, hand over the old man and you might live," Zabuza said, ending with a creepy chuckle. Ren just changed his grip on Mizuchi and with a quick twisting motion switched his grip to a two-handed reverse and stabbed backwards, killing a water clone which Zabuza had summoned while the team was distracted. Meanwhile Kakashi stepped forward, lifting his forehead protector to reveal a three-tomoed sharingan, while Hayate drew his own blade, which had a black wrap and saya with gunmetal furniture. The blade was quite ordinary, and the only thing about the sword that stood out was the unusual rectangular tsuba.

"Using your sharingan so soon, Copy Ninja? I'm honored," Zabuza said, his voice laced with contempt. The next thing anyone knew, Kakashi and Hayate stood warding off a blow from Zabuza's massive cleaver which was directed towards Tazuna. However, while he was busy blocking, a water clone caught him off guard and almost hit him. Were it not for Ren reacting to a sudden sense of danger with a lethal lunge, Hayate almost certainly would have been bisected by the massive slab of edged steel. "Hayate, help my team with those Mizu Bunshin. I'll deal with Zabuza," Kakashi ordered. Hayate nodded and a slaughter of Bunshin ensued, with Hayate and Ren stepping forward and proceeding to systematically eliminate the Mizu Bunshin, with Naruto and Sasuke mopping up survivors. Kakashi, meanwhile, engaged in a strange battle of mimicry, with the Copy Nin living up to his reputation. There was a brief snag when Kakashi was caught in a Suiton: Suirou no Jutsu, but he was soon freed by a bit of quick thinking on the part of Naruto with the aid of Sasuke while Ren and Hayate dealt with Mizu Bunshin.  
This was followed by Zabuza's defeat by Kakashi when the Copy Nin fired off his water dragon before Zabuza, wounding the missing-nin greatly.

However, before Kakashi could end the battle, a pair of needles suddenly hit Zabuza in the neck and a Kiri hunter-nin appeared and carried off the apparently dead body. Kakashi collapsed shortly after, stricken with chakra exhaustion after his prolonged use of the Sharingan. The team then resumed their journey to Tazuna's home, Kakashi carried over Hayate's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.


	4. Chapter 4

Naruto != mine

~Chapter 4~

The group reached Tazuna's home without further incident, though there were several false alarms from the genin, jumpy from their encounter with Zabuza. When they arrived at Tazuna's home, they were greeted by Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter. The guys were given a room with two futons for the jonin and three cots for the genin, while Sakura got a room to herself. Once they had secured the perimeter everyone settled down for the night.

The next morning Kakashi was out of bed and walking with the assistance of a makeshift crutch. After revealing that Zabuza was alive and would probably menace them again in about two week's time, he took Team 7 out to the nearby forest for a lesson. "Now, what you have to do today is climb trees…without using your hands," Kakashi said. "How?" Sakura asked, while Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow and Naruto gave him a strange look. "By channeling chakra to your feet. It is similar to the academy leaf-sticking chakra control exercise, only you are sticking your feet to the tree. I learned it as part of my escape and evasion training," Ren responded, surprising Kakashi slightly. "Kakashi, since Ren already knows tree walking, do you mind if I take him for kenjutsu training?" Hayate asked, followed by a hacking cough. "Not at all. In fact, I was going to ask you to later anyway. I only know basic swordsmanship, so Ren would have had to get outside tutoring at some point," the cyclopean sensei said, shrugging it off. Ren immediately fell into step with the pallid Jonin as he walked away to another part of the forest.

"Now, Ren, before I teach you, I need to know what level you are already at, and also what style you are learning," Hayate said, his voice a bit raspy from a recent coughing fit. "According to Kakashi-sensei, my kenjutsu is around high genin to low chunin, and the style I am using is the basic style taught to ANBU, which was invented by my great-grandfather for their purposes. It teaches techniques for a variety of sword types," Ren said.

"A good, generalized style, adequate for most ninja, but not for a kenjutsu specialist. I am familiar with the style, so I can help you, but be aware that in order to be recognized as a kenjutsu master, you must create your own style," Hayate said.

"Well, I have been working in private on my own style. It lacks a name, and it is still in its infancy. It relies on the use of a blade in one hand to leave the other free for one-handed seals, and also uses both the standard and reverse grips to keep opponents off balance and to suit different situations. For example, against weapon users, a standard grip is usually preferable because it gives one better range and control. However, taijutsu can be countered with a reverse grip, which gives more power and a broad, sweeping slash that is difficult to avoid and can be quickly followed by a forward stab if they do dodge it. In the interests of being able to effectively wield a sword in reverse grip, I've been training to strengthen my grip, and studying various kenjutsu styles from a variety of sources, including my great-grandfather's personal style, for inspiration," Ren said, intriguing the pallid Jonin.

"Then let me test your skill with a spar," Hayate said, and pulled out a scroll. After a brief bit of coughing, he unrolled it, revealing that it was a sealing scroll. Using it, he produced a pair of bamboo shinai and a wooden bokken with a seal near its base. "These will be your practice weapons. You will use the bokken to practice your kata, while the shinai will be used when you are sparring against a live opponent, usually myself. While the shinai are rather ordinary, the bokken is weighted to imitate a real weapon and equipped with a gravity seal in order to increase the weight. The heavier it is, the faster your strikes will be with a standard weapon. Once we are back in Konoha, I want you to go to the Higurashi weapon shop and have your sword checked out. It has been in storage for some time, and it may need maintenance," Hayate said in a commanding tone while taking a stance with his shinai.

Ren nodded seriously and took the practice swords, placing the bokken aside and assumed a defensive ready stance with the shinai as he watched Hayate warily. "Now, Senju, let's see what your studies have taught you," Hayate said, opening up with a basic horizontal slash which was easily blocked by Ren, followed up by a quick vertical that was deflected away. It went on in that vein, Hayate slowly ramping up the speed and intensity until he had a full test of his student's ability.

"Your studies are paying off, Ren. I'd say that you've gone as far as you can with the ANBU Basic style. Now, You have two choices. If you wish, I can train you to further refine your basics, or I can teach you my own style, which may help you with your own, and also give me a chance to pass on my teachings," Hayate said. Ren pondered for a short while before deciding. "I would be honored to learn your style, Hayate-sensei. This might seem stupid, but do you perhaps have any scrolls I could study?" Ren responded, expecting a negative, only to catch a sealing scroll that Hayate tossed at him. "The scrolls sealed into that hold the kata and techniques I have developed over the years. I carried it with me early in my career just in case I happened to develop something new, but now it is more out of habit than anything else. Also, I never know if I'll be around to teach the student personally," Hayate said, shrugging at Ren's questioning look. "Thank you, I'll take good care of it," Ren said solemnly.

Over the course of the first week, Team 7's abilities grew with leaps and bounds. Naruto's control was at the point where he could manage to create convincing bunshin, albeit only in mass quantities, and his taijutsu was quickly making him a serious threat in close quarters, especially when he used his style with a kunai. Sakura, meanwhile, had improved her medical jutsu so that she could heal wounds up to a minor sprain instead of just reducing pain or speeding up clotting. Sasuke had focused on his chakra control exercises, boosting his reserves in the process, increasing the number of jutsu he could fire before his reserves ran dry.

Ren, meanwhile, was put through the grinder, memorizing every basic kata of Hayate's style, and also learning a few of the more advanced kata. What made this even more grueling was the fact that Hayate also made him do this with the bokken's gravity seal at two times, then while tree walking, and, later on, learning water walking on the fly, resulting in a soggy, exhausted Senju. However, Hayate's brutal training regime made Ren faster, stronger, and with better reserves and control than ever before.

Five days before Zabuza was expected to recover, the Konoha nin and Tazuna's family were eating dinner when Inari, Tazuna's so-far silent grandson, suddenly stood up, smacking his hand on the table.

"Why are you trying so hard!? Gato's too powerful! No matter how hard you try he'll still…" The small boy's tirade was interrupted when he was struck in the solar plexus by Ren, who had grabbed his shinai from nearby and stabbed across the table. "Next time I'll use the real one," Ren said gravely. Naruto, furious at the kid, layed into him before storming out of the house. "I'll go look for him," Ren said, pushing away from the table and giving Inari a final withering glare as the boy held his stomach and cried. Sakura sat there, stunned at what she had seen and heard, while Sasuke was giving the boy a look of utter contempt before he left the table with a "hn".

Ren found his teammate punching a tree without any sort of finesse or precision. "Don't let that pathetic whelp get to you, Naruto. His kind aren't worth listening to,"' said, approaching his bloody-knuckled teammate and setting a hand upon his shoulder. "All you're doing here is hurting the tree and yourself. Remember, it isn't proper for the future Hokage to lose control like that. Now, go back and get some rest," Ren said sagely. Naruto took a deep breath and nodded before heading back to Tazuna's house, knuckles healing as he went. Ren shook his head as he looked at the tree and turned to go, only to feel a sudden pain in the side of his neck before losing consciousness.


	5. Chapter 5

~Chapter 5~

Naruto != mine

Ren awoke with the sensation of pins and needles all over his body, and a pounding headache. "What the hell…" he groaned out. He could feel that he was bound and blindfolded. Whoever had tied him up obvious had some form of shinobi training, as his fingers were bound also, tied together in order to prevent him from making handseals and escaping with a kawarimi or other jutsu. "It seems our guest is finally awake," a familiar voice said, making Ren stiffen. "Zabuza," he growled out. "You recover remarkably quickly," a feminine voice said from behind him. "And his accomplice," Ren added sourly, a scowl forming on his face.

Ren was then blinded by the light as his blindfold was lifted, revealing Zabuza sitting on a bed and a pale girl with long black hair and matching eyes standing next to the chair to which Ren was bound. She wore a pink kimono and a black choker around her neck. "I'll admit, I didn't imagine that Zabuza's accomplice would be so young. You can't be more than a few years older than I am, Tenshi," Ren said, making the girl blush with his comment and his intense gaze. "Shut up. You are our captive, and you will answer our questions," Zabuza said, punching Ren in the stomach and knocking the wind out of him.

"First of all, how did a pathetic little genin like you get a hold of one of the most powerful swords ever made?" Zabuza asked, holding up Mizuchi in front of Ren's face. "Mizuchi is one of my family's most treasured possessions, Momochi," Ren answered, his eyes hardening.

"Ah, so you are a Senju. I had my suspicions based on your resemblance to the Nidaime Hokage, but this confirms it. Konoha will pay a princely sum to get you back, won't they? After all, you are the sole remaining heir to the clan, quite valuable to a village as crazy about it's bloodlines and families as Konoha is. Yes, you're worth a great deal to those tree-huggers," Zabuza said, rising from the bed and pacing around Ren's chair. "Sending them the ransom message would make you the target of so many ANBU that you would never be able to escape alive. And even if I do die, I still get the satisfaction of knowing that you will suffer with Ibiki down in T&I," Ren spat back, "Besides, you'll need more than just my ransom to fund another rebellion. You need enough to set up a safe house for when this one fails just as miserably as your first attempted coup." This comment made Zabuza quite angry, and the Kiri nuke-nin punched Ren in the face, resulting in a bloody nose for the Senju. "I'm going to enjoy beating the answers out of you," Zabuza said, cracking his knuckles.

Over the course of the days after Inari's outburst leading up to Zabuza's expected reappearance, the Konoha contingent was in a state of tension and unrest, with Kakashi upping the training of the remaining members of Team 7 and sending out one of his nin-dog summons, a small pug named Pakkun who was capable of speech and had the ability to 'smell' chakra, to search for Ren, who had gone missing after speaking with Naruto. Naruto, meanwhile, felt responsible for his teammate's disappearance, and was training himself into the ground over it. It wasn't until late in the afternoon the day before Zabuza was expected to attack that Pakkun found a trail. Since Kakashi was busy training the genin, Hayate was the one who followed Pakkun to the small house where Pakkun smelled Ren's chakra.

Ren was on his third day in captivity. After the first day, in which Zabuza tried to get information on Tazuna and the Konoha nin protecting him, the missing-nin gave up due to a limited time frame and the fact that all he got were insults and smart remarks from the Senju. So, he simply broke his left ankle to keep him from moving quickly, and also broke the fingers and wrist of his right hand to prevent him from using jutsu. In addition, Zabuza arranged for Haku, his accomplice, to check on him when delivering meals. Over this time, he managed to slowly gather information on where Mizuchi was stored by talking with Haku, and began to formulate a plan for his escape.

Ren laid with his back against the ceiling over the door, waiting for Hakuto enter with dinner. The door swung open, and Haku entered as normal but got a suspicious look and put the tray aside when she didn't see the captive. Ren, seizing the opportunity, dropped down and wrapped his good arm around her neck as they both fell to the floor, Ren on top. "Sorry, but I have my duty," Ren said, wincing as his broken wrist protested to being pushed against Haku's back. Ren gritted his teeth and choked Haku until she passed out before he fled the scene as fast as he could, stopping by Zabuza's room to grab Mizuchi before limping into the woods to rendezvous with his team.

It had taken Ren a day to find the clearing where he had been captured, and he was in a sorry state. His ankle was swollen and felt like it was on fire, and his wrist wasn't much better, having been fallen upon several times. Ren was currently lying facedown in the clearing, utterly drained. "Ren!" he heard a shout in Naruto's voice. "Naruto?" Ren croaked. "We've been looking for you for days!" Naruto said, helping Ren up and slinging his arm over his shoulder to help him up and half-carry him to Tazuna's house. "Pakkun said Hayate-sensei went out to rescue you!" Naruto said, helping along his teammate, who looked quite haggard, with shadows under his eyes and a number of rips and tears in his now-dirty clothes. "We need to contact him. Tell him to call it off, or else he might be killed," Ren said, trying his best to keep moving. "I'll ask Kakashi-sensei when we get back," Naruto said, before the two of them continued, Ren sporting a constant grimace of pain as he limped along with Naruto.

The two got back to a relieved Team 7. Kakashi sent out Pakkun to find Hayate and warn him off, and Sasuke, of all people, actually cracked a smile, albeit a small one. Ren was immediately sent to a bed to rest while Sakura bandaged and splinted his ankle and fingers, and fashioned a sling for his wrist. Once he was in bed, he followed her orders to the letter. After all, she was the medic, and anything was better than the terrible pain and inflammation that he had experienced earlier.

Hayate returned to Tazuna's house in terrible shape, accompanied by a shamefaced Pakkun. "I was too late," the pug said mournfully. Hayate was holding his blood-soaked side and coughing blood. Ren, who was resting outside, saw his sensei collapse and hobbled over to help. "Hayate-sensei! What happened?" Ren asked, looking frantic. "Zabuza was waiting in ambush when I arrived. I couldn't draw fast enough and got a pretty nasty wound," Hayate said. "I'll get Sakura, she can patch you up," Ren said. "It's a bit late for that," Hayate responded with a grim smile, "Ren, take my sword and forehead protector and give them to Yugao Uzuki back in Konoha. Keep the scroll with my personal style, it is my gift to you. Learn it well…" With this, the sickly man died, his eyes going dull as he gasped his last word. "I will do my best to live up to your teachings, sensei," Ren said in a quiet tone, almost a whisper, as his eyes grew stony. He carefully closed Hayate's eyes and went into the house to fetch something.

"Why do you need me?" Sasuke asked as Ren led him outside. "Because Hayate is dead, and we new to burn the body. Seeing as burning things is your specialty, I got you to do it. One thing first, though," Ren said seriously, carefully removing Hayate's sword and sheath from the belt on his shoulder in addition to his forehead protector before Sasuke immolated the body with a Gokakyuu no Jutsu. "Thank you, Sasuke. Much obliged," Ren said in a distracted manner as he looked with a sense of trepidation at the blade and forehead protector of his late sensei.

The day Zabuza was expected to attack, Ren was sitting in the kitchen of Tazuna's home with Mizuchi unsheathed and held in his left hand. Naruto had recently set off to the bridge, leaving Ren to hold the fort. He was unsurprised when the wall besides him was destroyed by a pair of swordsmen, one shirtless and heavily tattooed and the other clad in a wool hat and hoodie. Both carried cheap, low-quality weapons. Ren stabbed the shirtless one in the side of the throat and tore out the blade in a shower of blood.

"What the hell!" exclaimed the other, blocking a slash at his throat. Ren rose to his feet and took an unusual posture, weight primarily on his right foot and Mizuchi held in a reverse grip. The remaining swordsman charged at him, only for Ren to pivot out of the way and cut him down as he passed, spilling his blood all over the already stained floor. Ren fell into a seat and wiped Mizuchi's blade clean on the second swordsman's hoodie. It was at this point that Tsunami ventured into the room, having heard the ruckus and come to investigate. "Gato tried to take a hostage, it would seem. Sorry you had to see the result. But you might want to check on some of your neighbors," Ren said grimly, concentrating chakra into the blade in order to cleanse it fully with the water produced. "Inari, I need you to do something," Ren said, giving the boy a serious look, "I need you to warn the village that Gato may be sending more of these goons their way." Inari nodded and ran off into the village.

When Team 7 returned to Tazuna's house they found the kitchen to be a gory mess and their teammate in the sitting room with Tsunami. "I take it you ran into trouble?" Ren asked from the couch when Sasuke was half-dragged by Naruto into the room, followed by an unmarked Sakura and a drained-looking Kakashi, who recounted the tale to the injured member, with additional input from Naruto and Inari, who had apparently spearheaded the preemptive strike against the army of Gato's hired muscle, which earned a small smile from Ren which vanished as he turned to face Kakashi.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei, for getting captured. I should have been more aware," Ren said. "It is not your fault. Zabuza's accomplice was very fast and very good at hiding their presence." "But I got Hayate-sensei killed," Ren said. "He knew the risks of going alone. I wish you had gotten to us sooner, but what's done is done," Kakashi said, putting his hand on Ren's shoulder. "I doubt Yugao Uzuki will agree. Thank you for trying, though, sensei," Ren said, giving Kakashi a sad smile before hobbling upstairs to rest.

Team 7 went home once the bridge was completed, and arrived back with minimal delay. When they entered the Homage's office for the debriefing, Kakashi stepped forward and delivered the mission report, with Ren filling in the gaps regarding his captivity and Hayate's death. Once it was over, Team 7 was dismissed, but Ren stayed behind. "How may I help you, Ren-kun?" the Hokage asked. "Hokage-sama, do you know where Yugao Uzuki lives? Hayate-sensei asked me to deliver his sword and forehead protector to her," Ren said, looking grim.

Ren looked at the door to Yugao Uzuki's apartment with a great sense of foreboding. He looked down at Hayate-sensei's sword and forehead protector in his hand before, steeling himself, he reached up and, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, knocked on the door.

It was opened by an attractive woman in her twenties with waist-length purple hair and dark brown eyes. She was clad in a black shirt and ANBU pants. "Yugao Uzuki?" Ren asked, swallowing a lump in his throat. "Yes?" the woman replied uncertainly. "I'm afraid I have some bad news. Hayate Geko died in the line of duty, and he asked me to give you his sword and forehead protector," Ren said, looking down, unable to meet her eyes as he presented her with the items. He was caught by surprise when he was decked by a sobbing Yugao.

"I'm sorry, Uzuki-san. Were it not for me being captured, he would still be alive," Ren said, pinching his now-bleeding nose as Yugao took the weapon and forehead protector from him and slammed the door.

At the hospital Ren was quickly taken in and had x-rays on his ankle, wrist, and hand, which were, according to the doctor, in need of casts. Also, Ren had his nose, which had been broken by Yugao, set and bandaged as well.

It was early in the morning the day after Ren's return home after a brief hospital stay, and he was just sitting at home exercising his grip while studying the scroll Hayate left him when he heard a thunderous crash at the door, followed by a loud female voice shouting, "Alright, where is the little bastard who cut off my access to the clan accounts!" "That would be me," Ren said pleasantly, hobbling into the foyer with Mizuchi held, sheathed, in his usable hand. Standing before him amid the wreckage of the front door was a blonde wearing a green jacket over a tan top and black pants with a set of high-heeled sandals. Her hair was in a dual-ponytailed style, and she had a small black-bordered diamond mark on her forehead. She also had an extremely large bust, though Ren was currently focused upon her honey-colored eyes, which were currently burning with rage.

"Lady Tsunade, was it strictly necessary for you to destroy the door?" a timid voice asked. Its owner was a woman with short black hair and dark eyes. She was wearing a black kimono with white edges and carrying a pig which wore a vest and a string of pearls. "Be quiet, Shizune, I'm trying to find out who the hell this brat thinks he is to cut me off," the now-identified Tsunade said. "I am Ren Senju, heir of the Senju clan, great-grandson of Tobirama Senju, the Nidaime Hokage, and also the 'brat who cut you off' as you put it. You, I presume, are my second cousin once removed, Tsunade Senju, the Slug Sannin and, unofficially, the Legendary Sucker," Ren said, sounding rather disinterested, "And with you is Shizune, niece if your deceased lover, Dan Kato, who bled out on you during the last war, and whose death, along with that of your younger brother, Nawaki, prompted you to up and leave with your lover's young niece as your apprentice."

"How do you know all of this?" Tsunade asked, bewildered by the barrage of information. "I pieced it together through various correspondences and dossiers on members which I found in the clan records, and also by asking my ANBU guards about you. The silver-haired one with the dog mask and the orange book was usually quite a good source of info for some reason. And then he'd start reading his book and giggling while red stuff leaked from the bottom of his mask…" Ren trailed off and got a look of realization. "I just realized something. Inu was a pervert. Explains why he went on about how attractive you were," Ren said, stroking his chin. "Anyway, the reason I locked you out of the clan funds was because I wanted to keep the clan out of bankruptcy. The rate at which you were spending it on sake and poker, we'd have run out before I was sixteen years old," Ren said, going deadpan at the final statement.

The rest of the morning was spent chatting with Tsunade and Shizune, getting to know his cousin and her apprentice, also having his fingers, wrist, and ankle healed by Shizune, who volunteered her help when she realized that he was injured. "Now, wait at least a week before you get the casts removed. I managed to knit your bones together again, but your body needs some time for the muscle to recover fully. Understood?" Shizune asked in a manner which, while gentle, held an edge of command that made Ren quite compliant. "Am I alright to walk?" Ren asked politely. "That depends, where are you going?" Shizune asked, getting a glint in her eye. "The Higurashi weapon shop. My kenjutsu teacher told me to get Mizuchi checked out there, and I don't want to disobey orders," Ren replied before heading out, Mizuchi in hand.


	6. Chapter 6

Naruto != mine

~Chapter 6~

The Higurashi weapon shop was a small shop tucked away in the market district which catered mainly to those chunin-level or higher in the ninja corps, and it was the supplier of the swords which were standard-issue for ANBU. Ren entered the shop and looked about at the wide variety of weaponry which was on display, including bo staffs, swords of all shapes and sizes, kama and kusarigama, yari and naginata polearms, ono axes, and a plethora of other arms with a smattering of armor here and there, mostly net mail and flak jackets with one or two heavier pieces. Standing at the counter using a rag and oil to clean a katana was a girl around his age wearing a pink chinese top and a forehead protector. She had a light tan and brown eyes, with her brown hair up in a pair of tight buns. Hearing the door close she looked up. "Hello, how may I help you?" she asked politely. "Hello, I'm here to have my sword inspected," Ren said, placing Mizuchi on the counter, the edge side of the saya facing him, "I'd unsheath it, but I only have one hand at the moment." The girl didn't seem to hear him, as her eyes had stars in them and she looked like a fangirl who had just gotten a proposal from her victim. "Where did you get this?" she asked in a demanding tone.

"Mizuchi is a family heirloom. I am Ren Senju, and who, may I ask, are you?" Ren replied with an icy tone. "I am Tenten Higurashi. My father owns the store. Sorry, I got excited when I saw Mizuchi. I've read about this sword, but I never thought I'd ever see it. Is it true that you can create water on the blade?" Tenten said, ending with a small squeal. "Water condenses on the blade when I channel chakra into it, yes. Can you inspect it now?" Ren replied, slightly disturbed by the display of fangirlish enthusiasm. "One moment," Tenten said, unsheathing the blade and started examining it. About ten minutes later, after Tenten had thoroughly investigated every inch of the blade, she resheathed it. "The blade is in perfect shape. It has no scratches or chips in the blade, and there's not a hint of rust. This sword is just as perfect as when it was forged," Tenten said, and reluctantly handed it back to him. "How much do I owe you?" Ren asked, reaching for his wallet. "Nothing, nothing at all. I'm just glad I got to see and hold such a sword," Tenten said, sighing in a dreamy manner. "Okay. I'm leaving now. Goodbye," Ren said, beating a hasty retreat. "Who was that?" a deep, gruff voice asked from the back of the shop. "That was the Senju heir, dad. He brought in Mizuchi!" Tenten squealed once more, prompting a sweatdrop from her father as she sighed again.

A week had passed, and Ren was finally out of his casts and back to his training. Once he was healed, Tsunade and Shizune left, as Ren had opened up a secondary account for her to draw on. He had started to memorize the intermediate kata of Hayate's style, which was all about distraction and misdirection to catch the enemy unawares. Many of it's kata included a number of feints in addition to conventional slices and slashes. Also, missions had resumed for Ren, which allowed him to ease back into the cycle of training and missions. However, that changed when Kakahi signed them up for the chunin exams and gave them a week off of missions in order for them to prepare.

Ren spent his week when not at team training drilling himself rigorously, perfecting the kata of Hayate's style in addition to working on improving his own, which had matured into a more concrete discipline, with an emphasis on parrying and blocking, taking advantage of the reverse grip's defensive advantages.

It was three days into the week, and Ren was returning home to train when he saw Konohamaru run into a black-clad nin with a bandaged bundle on his back. The ninja picked up the small boy, and a confrontation was brewing with Naruto and Sakura on one side and the ninja in black and the blonde girl beside him on the other. She was quite attractive, with a light tan, black eyes, and a slim, shapely figure. She wore an off-white battle kimono with fishnet underneath and had her hair up in a quartet of short ponytails, and carried what appeared to be a black metal-cased battle fan, marking her as a futon user, and almost definitely from Suna, as that was where the only makers of such weapons were located. This was due to the fact that Suna was the only village with enough futon affinities to make a demand for fans, which were primarily useful to futon users to enhance their jutsu, and even then it was best for increasing their normally average range.

Before the situation escalated any further, Ren intervened, putting his sword at the blonde's throat with a kunai aiming its point into the neck of the one in black. "I warn, you, Suna, if you try anything, you and your teammate will die. And possibly others, since the gaki there just so happens to be the grandson of the current Hokage. I do believe that harming him would count as an act negating your diplomatic immunitiy, and I would be obligated to kill you. Or worse, capture you and give you to T&I," Ren said, casually threatening the pair of them.

He was aided by Sasuke, who revealed his presence with a rock that hit the black-garbed one's wrist with enough force to make him drop Konohamaru as the Uchiha dropped out of the tree. "I have a bad feeling. Someone just showed up and is giving me a seriously bad vibe," Ren said, looking around nervously. It was then that a red-haired boy appeared, wearing a large gourd on his back, secured by a strap which also bore the plate of a Suna forehead protector. His clothing was a simple black garment. He was pale, with dark rings around his green eyes and the kanji for love tattooed in red above his left eye. "Stop this foolishness, Kankuro, or I will kill you," he said darkly. "Oh great, a murderous insomniac," Ren said, reverting to his usual snark. "What's your name?" Sasuke demanded of the redhead. "I am Sabaku no Gaara. And yours?" the redhead replied, indicating both Sasuke and Ren. "I am Sasuke Uchiha." "And I am Ren Senju." "Mother wants your blood," Gaara said in his standard emotionless tone. "An insomniac and a psychopath, you are an interesting one," Ren snarked back, making Gaara's teammates look at him in shock as he walked away. "See you around, Sand Siblings," he said over his shoulder as a parting shot.

The days passed quickly, and the chunin exams arrived. Team 7 was gathered outside the building, planning their strategy. "Now, no showing off or giving away an advantage. Try to avoid boasting, or attracting attention to us. If we manage it, we may be underestimated and have an edge on the other teams," Ren said in a low voice that didn't escape their huddle. His teammates acknowledged his advice with silent nods and proceeded into the building.

Inside the building, they were met by Kakashi, who expressed his pride in them before letting them pass with a few words of encouragement for each of them. Then Team 7 went up and found a large group outside of a door marked 301, despite the fact that it was only the second floor. Sasuke was about to say something when Ren set a hand on his shoulder. "No," he said simply, guiding Sauke up to the proper floor. Suddenly, they were accosted by a green blur.

The blur was a boy with black bowl-cut hair wearing a green spandex bodysuit. He had enormous dark eyes, with massive eyebrows. His hands were wrapped in bandages and his shins were covered by leg warmers. His hitai-ate was worn as a belt. "Sasuke Uchiha. I am Rock Lee, and I challenge you to a battle!" he cried out, executing a powerful taijutsu combo on Sasuke, making Ren reach for Mizuchi, which was now tucked into his black sash that was worn as an obi, putting the sword at his waist. "I'd rather not injure you, but if you continue I will use force," Ren said, adjusting his posture and putting pressure on the tsuba with his thumb until the habaki popped free of the saya (This was an aggressive posture for samurai, as it freed up the blade for a lightning-fast iaijutsu/battojutsu strike). Not recognizing the hostile stance, Lee turned to Ren and shouted, "YOSH! Your flames of youth must indeed burn bright to defend your com-" He was cut off by Ren jamming the kashira (bottom of the tsuka) into Lee's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. Seeing an opportunity, Team 7 beat a hasty retreat, Sasuke deactivating his Sharingan in the process. The commotion caused the genjutsu on the door to be dropped as the two "genin" guarding the door used the distraction to vanish unnoticed.

Team 7 arrived quite loudly, with Ren still keeping his hand on Mizuchi's tsuka. He relaxed slightly, but his hand stayed on the blade. They moved over to a gathering of the other rookies. Some conversation ensued which got rather boisterous as Sasuke dodged Ino's attempted glomp. This ended up sending her straight into Ren, and fell onto him lips first as they both took a tumble with Ren on the bottom. They quickly separated from the momentary kiss, blushing slightly. Ren's immediate reaction was to backhand Sasuke as retribution as he wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

The chaos was interrupted by a silver-haired genin from Konoha wearing glasses, who warned them that they were attracting alot of negative attention. He introduced himself as Kabuto Yakushi, and admitted to repeated failures of the exam in the past, though he did seem to have a great deal of information stored away in a deck of ninja info cards, which were coded to his chakra. Sasuke requested info on Gaara, Lee, and also Ren. However, before Kabuto pull out Ren's info card, Mizuchi came down and sliced Kabuto's deck in half, nearly taking off Kabuto's fingers, with water condensed on the blade which ruined the cards. "I like to keep my skills a secret," Ren said, giving Kabuto a smile that didn't reach his eyes. The standoff was interrupted by a large, bear-like man with scars on his face and a bandana hitai-ate stepped forward, garbed in all black with gloves and a trench coat. He proceeded to outline the first part of the test and the rules governing it. "Alright, maggots, sit down, shut the hell up. and get to work! You have only one hour, and if you haven't finished by then, you and your team fail," the man growled out in a rather intimidating manner. The genin picked up their pencils and started their test.


	7. Chapter 7

Naruto != mine

~Chapter 7~

Ren Senju settled into his seat and closed his eyes, trying to focus his mind when, suddenly, he received a strange feeling, a sort of blurry, black-and white ghost-image of his surroundings, with spectral flares at the tables around him before fading. He quickly exited the meditative state, somewhat shaken, and shook his head. He decided instead to use a technique invented by the Nidaime Hokage instead. It enabled him to detect water around him, and was the first stage of the technique he used to draw water out of the air. Ren use it to 'read' the answers of a student nearby who was rapidly filling in answers by finding the higher concentration of water in the ink and translating the shape. He finished and flipped the test over and proceeded back into meditation like before, getting himself used to the sensation, and he found that Naruto was a dim glow, as was Gaara, while a few others like Tenten and Sakura were dark, which made Ren think. 'Perhaps I should look into this,' Ren thought, exiting the trance.

The hour was almost up, and everyone was finishing up their tests. Some had cracked under the pressure, others were caught cheating and their team ejected from the exam. Then came the tenth question, which made yet more buckle due to the harsh consequences if they got it wrong. However, thanks to an inspirational speech from Naruto, which made Ren smirk at his teammate's boldness and determination. The

bear-like man gave a rather out-of-character smile and revealed that the true purpose of the test was to test both the genins' information gathering and willingness to take on the unknown before removing his bandana hitai-ate. He then explained the harsh reality of shinobi life, demonstrating his scars from a field interrogation he had received. The moment was ruined however, by a window being smashed by a black object flying through it.

It turned out to be a banner, which unfurled to reveal a daringly dressed woman with purple hair in a spiky ponytail. The banner behind her read 'The sexy and single Anko Mitarashi!', and was fixed in place by kunai stabbed into the floor and ceiling. "I think you might be early, Mitarashi-san," Ren snarked from his seat in the back. Ibiki chuckled at the Senju's comment. "He's right," the bear-like man said, "You are early." "Seventy-three people passed? Are you sure that number is right?" Anko asked Ibiki. "One team has four members, and as a result there is an odd number," Ibiki responded. "Oh well, all of you report to Training Ground 44 by nine for the descend exam," she ordered before vanishing in a puff of smoke. Once Team 7 had left the classroom, Ren gestured for them to follow him and took them to a secluded area. "Grab onto my arm," he instructed before running through a few handseals. Team 7's genin vanished in a swirl of mist and a spray of water.

When they reappeared, they were outside of a massive forest surrounded by an extremely high chain link fence. "I like this place. Feels homey," Ren commented, a small smile on his face. "How?" asked Naruto, looking at him oddly. "This place is the result of my ancestor, the Shodaime's, mokuton ninjutsu running loose due to an influx of nature chakra. Apparently it reacted to his mokuton and caused the trees to grow to massive sizes, along with the animals. It gives me a sort of familiar feeling," Ren said, shrugging at the odd looks he was given by his team. Then a kunai flicked past, opening a small cut on Ren's cheek. Mitarashi Anko appeared, licking up some blood which oozed from the wound. "Hello, Mitarashi-san. Would you like some dango?" Ren asked, seemingly unpeturbed. "Sure gaki, and it's Anko-sama to you," she replied. Ren nodded and vanished in a mizu shunshin.

The next team to arrive was the Sand Siblings, who found Team 7 and the proctor for the second stage all resting and eating dango. "Ah, the Sand Siblings. Care to join us for a small snack? After all, we are allies," Ren said pleasantly, proffering a stick of dumplings, keeping a close eye on Anko. Kankuro, still a bit sore over their previous encounter, refused. Temari, however, walked forward and took the dango, taking a dumpling and tasting it. Finding that it tasted quite good, she sat down beside Ren, though she seemed somewhat nervous, seeing as Anko was devouring dango like Naruto did ramen. Ren chuckled, proceeding to continue to eat his own stick at a more sedate pace. When Anko had demolished what was available, she tried to steal some from Ren, who was quick to move it away. Enraged by his refusal to give her his dango, Anko leapt upon him, trying to get the dumplings. In the process, she ended up, much like Ino had, engaging in an unintentional kiss with the young Senju, which made him freeze up. Anko, seeing an opportunity, smirked and grabbed the dango, in the process placing her generous 'assets' in Ren's face. When she drew back, she saw the blushing Senju had a vacant look and a nosebleed.

"Oh, did the little Senju enjoy that?" Anko asked, getting very close to Ren and licking up the blood from below his nose, eliciting a reaction which she felt quite clearly. "Yes, he did," she said, the smirk becoming a near-diabolical grin. Before she could further tease Ren, though, the rest of the genin started to arrive. "We'll have to pick this up later, Ren-kun," she said, giving him a hickey on the neck before getting up and sashaying away. Ren stayed there for a few moments and watched as Anko left. Sasuke gave a small smirk, Sakura looked scandalized, and Naruto seemed downright befuddled. "What just happened?" he asked, cocking his head like a confused dog. "You'll find out when you're older," Ren said, slowly getting up from his sprawled position and giving the Uzumaki a pat on the shoulder.

"Alright, gaki, get these forms and sign them so we can get underway," Anko commanded. "What purpose does that serve?" asked a tall, buxom woman with pale blonde hair who bore a Kumo hitai-ate and a neutral facial expression. "It is a release form which states that Konoha is not liable in any way if the undersigned is killed during the exam," Ren said in a loud, clear, voice, making everyone turn to him. "Who are you?" asked the Kumo kunoichi, eyeing him with passive gray eyes. "Ren Senju, at your service, Kumo-san," Ren said, giving a small bow. "Kumo-san?" she asked, a pale blonde eyebrow raising. "I do not know your name, so I improvised," Ren responded, shrugging. "I am Samui, Senju-san," responded the Kumo-nin cooly. "A pleasure," Ren responded, bowing again, this time kissing the back of Samui's hand. "Stop trying to charm the foreigners and get your form, Senju," Anko ordered tersely. Ren smirked, saluted Anko, and gave a small wave to the Kumo-nin as he joined his team in line. He filled out his paperwork and rejoined Team 7 at their assigned gate.

"Alright, I think that we will have an additional challenge while we're in the forest. Other teams are likely to see us as a threat because of our larger size, and are therefore more likely to be hostile to us. Try to minimize risk, and let's do our best to get to the center tower as fast as possible to give us time to rest. Judging by the number of people who passed the first exam, there will be a set of preliminary fights at the end of the second stage to determine who goes on to the third round proper. We'll need some R&R to advance," Ren said in a small huddle with his teammates. Sasuke reluctantly agreed, as he saw Ren's reasoning, even though he'd like to test himself against the other teams. Sakura agreed as well, and Naruto, eager to advance, also agreed with the Senju's plan of action. Their scroll, an Earth, was given to Sasuke for safekeeping. They were led to their gate, the starting bell rung, and teams of genin from all over the Elemental Countries sped into the Forest of Death, and towards inevitable conflict.


	8. Chapter 8

Naruto != mine

AN-  
Thank you, readers, and my reviewer, Furionknight. However, though I am enjoying writing this and will still post anyways, can you please tell me how I'm doing? I won't hold any future chapters hostage, but I was wondering how I was doing now that I'm 8 chapters into this.

~Chapter 8~

Team 7 were nearing the end of their first day of the second stage of the Chunin Exams, and they had already had a team from Amegakure try to catch them off guard by impersonating Naruto, who had been away on a bathroom break. The Ame team had been dealt with, but unfortunately they too had an earth scroll, which Ren took into his keeping. They reunited with Naruto and continued on, only to run into a creepy Kusa genin who barraged them with untold amounts of killing intent.

Attempting to avoid conflict, Sasuke offered up his earth scroll, only to have it ripped in half. The genin revealed their true identity, Orochimaru, the traitorous Snake Sannin, and proceeded to hit Naruto with some sort of seal and sent him flying off with a powerful wind jutsu. Ren, meanwhile, pulled out his earth scroll and pressed it into Sakura's hand. "Keep it safe," he said urgently in an undertone. Sakura nodded and put the scroll in her shuriken pouch. "Sasuke, take Sakura and run. I'll try to hold him off. Get out of here, don't stop for anything," Ren ordered, assuming a one-handed defensive stance in front of Sakura and Sasuke, Mizuchi drawn. His teammates followed the order without question, leaving him alone with the traitorous Sannin.

Orochimaru chuckled, rolling his shoulders. "So the little Senju fancies himself a swordsman. Let's see how good you really are with that blade," the Sannin said before regurgitating the Kusanagi no Tsurugi from his gullet. "I know this is probably a moot point, but is that strictly necessary? I mean, besides the fact that it is absolutely disgusting and potentially unnerving, what point is there to have to vomit up your sword every time you want to use it? Or did the sheath clash with your ass bow?" Ren snarked. Orochimaru merely smirked at him.

"Ah, you are a clever one. However, I have an appointment to make." Orochimaru suddenly launched himself forward in a lunge, resembling a striking snake, and tried to skewer Ren. However, he was foiled by Ren both sidestepping and parrying. Orochimaru landed lightly on his feet and started to circle Ren, looking for openings to exploit. Seeing an opportunity, Ren suddenly lunged himself, shifting to reverse grip as he did, going for a vicious disemboweling slash across the Snake Sannin's stomach as he passed. However, this was easily evaded by the use of a substituted mud clone.

"Tsk, tsk, sacrificing range and control for power, how amateurish," Orochimaru lectured from an overhead branch before he leapt downward with a helm breaker which was easily evaded by Ren, who merely rolled to the side. Then it became a straight aerial duel, with Ren doing all he could to stall the Snake Sannin and draw him away from his team. "Your loyalty to your teammates is admirable, Ren-kun. Too bad your sacrifice is pointless. The orange one is already dead and digesting by now, and the weak girl and Sasuke-kun will die soon as well," Orochimaru taunted from a high branch.

Ren's only response was a barrage of water bullets from a single, one-handed seal. "Ah, you are a talented little genin, aren't you?" Orochimaru said, appearing from behind a tree on ground level. After several more exchanges, Ren was panting, low on chakra, and bleeding in a few places. Sheathing Mizuchi, Ren quickly made seals. "Suiton: Mizurappa!" A cone of high pressure water was released from his mouth which tore up the ground and the tree where Orochimaru stood, but missed when the traitor leapt up into the trees once more. "As much as I've enjoyed this, I have a date with Sasuke-kun. Have fun with the snakes," Orochimaru vanished and reappeared on the forest floor placed his hand on Ren's back and the tired Senju vanished in a large cloud of smoke. When the smoke had cleared, Ren found himself in a dry, grassy area with flat-topped stones all around. And, on every stone was a snake sunning itself. "Oh, shit," was all Ren could say as dozens of snakes of all types and sizes rose up around him, hissing angrily.

It had been nearly an hour, and Ren was in a sorry state. A snake had gotten a bite in on him despite his evasion attempts, and it made him steadily slower and unsteadier, until he eventually fell unconscious. A large constrictor was about to twine itself around him when a massive eagle swooped in and lifted Ren in it's claws. It took him to a large aerie in the side of a mountain above the clouds and deposited him in a nest at the center in front of a massive eagle with golden plumage and a steel-colored eagle the size of a large dog which was perched next a large scroll. It was this sight which greeted Ren when he awoke. He started to panic, but the snake venom still had him paralyzed and the smaller eagle spoke. "Calm yourself. We have no wish to harm you. In fact, we have an offer for you," the steely eagle said. It had a stern, hoarse voice, and an air of both pride and wisdom. "We want you to become our summoner," the massive one said sternly, cutting to the chase. "May I ask why?" Ren said, eyeing them suspiciously and flexing his muscles as the snake venom wore off. "I am Buchi, Senju-san, and this is Washinushi, our leader. The reason for our offer is that we have had our clan members observing the Elemental Nations for some time, trying to find someone who is worthy to sign our contract. You are the one we have chosen. You are observant, intelligent, skilled, noble, and proud. All of these are traits we value in our own. Thus, we have chosen you as our first summoner. Do you accept?" Washinushi said. "I would be honored, Washinushi-sama, Buchi-sama," Ren said, bowing. "Sign here in blood, please," Buchi said, unrolling the scroll. Ren pulled out a kunai and pricked his fingertip, using the blood that welled up to sign his name. "The contract is made. Now, the hand signs for the summoning jutsu are…" Once Ren had learned the summoning jutsu, he asked for Buchi to send him back to the Forest of Death, near where he had been sent from.

He arrived in a clearing to find a very large bear attacking a bespectacled redhead girl with a Kusa hitai-ate. He quickly drew Mizuchi and leapt forward, tired muscles fueled by chakra and adrenaline. Sinking Mizuchi into the bear's back, he was shaken off before he could do anything else. Deprived of his weapon, Ren made seals. "Suiton: Suiben," he said, a water whip growing in his left hand. He lashed out with the whip and snared the bear's ankle as it rose on its hind legs to swat away the Senju with an enormous paw. Ren dodged the swipe and rolled behind before pulling hard, toppling the beast. He leapt on again and pulled Mizuchi free. He then swung the blade in a wide downward arc and beheaded the creature. The whip fell into water once more and Mizuchi started to drip with blood diluted by chakra-condensed water.

Ren sighed and jumped down, wiping the blade on the beheaded corpse of the bear. He popped a pair of chakra pills and a food pill and turned to the Kusa genin he'd saved. "Are you alright?" Ren asked, offering the young kunoichi a hand. She nodded weakly, reaching up and accepting the help up. Oddly, when she touched his hand she suddenly jolted and a blush spread across her cheeks. "What's your name?" Ren asked. "Karin," she said quietly, still blushing. "Do you know where your team is?" "They abandoned me here," she said, starting to tear up. "It's alright, Karin-san. You can come with me while I find my team. After all, it is in both of our best interests to work together," Ren said. "Here. I took this from my idiot teammate before he left," Karin said, drawing a heaven scroll out of her shuriken pouch. "Thank you, Karin-san. Now, we have to find my team. Hopefully they got to somewhere safe," Ren said, placing the heaven scroll in his shuriken pouch.

It was a few hours later when Ren and Karin found a shorter-haired Sakura in the middle of a confrontation with the team from Oto. Ren signaled Karin to hold position and leapt down into the clearing. "I don't know your intentions, but I would suggest that you leave now. Otherwise, I've been having a really bad day, and I would love to carve you up," Ren said in a threatening tone of strained patience. "Heh, like we need to listen to you," the female member said. She was an attractive girl, with an athletic build, pale skin, and long black hair. Her teammates, a gauntlet-wearing mummy with one visible eye and a spiky haired boy with a cocky look on his face seemed to agree, seeing as the mummy leapt forward gauntlet-first, only to have Ren draw his blade and sever his arm in one swift movement. "Never underestimate your opponent," Ren said, kneeling down and pulling up the mummy's head. "Now, I'll be merciful," Ren concluded, drawing Mizuchi across the mummy's throat and dropping the body onto the ground. He then looked at the spiky-haired shinobi. "You're next," he calmly stated, condensing water on Mizuchi to rid it of blood, wiping it on the mummy's clothing, only for Sasuke, who was covered in black flame-like markings originating from a three-tomoe seal on his neck, to emerge from the tree and brutally defeat the spiky-haired Oto genin by breaking both arms. While the beating ensued, Ren pulled Sakura aside.

"Where did he get that mark?" "Orochimaru bit him. He said it would give Sasuke-kun power and that Sasuke-kun would go to him for more," Sakura responded , "Also, they said Orochimaru sent them to kill Sasuke." Towards the end of the one-sided battle Naruto arrived. He seemed to want to intervene, but he was stopped by Ren gesturing him over. Sasuke finished off his opponent with a kunai and turned to Ren, who signaled his teammates to stay back and summoned a water whip. "Fight me," Sasuke commanded, a wild look in his eyes. "No," Ren replied, "I will not. Besides, I expected better of an Uchiha. Giving in so easily to Orochimaru's false promise of power. He probably wants you for your eyes, and will kill you to get them." Ren used the water whip to bind the Oto kunoichi, who was stunned by her teammate's deaths. "How will you restore your clan to glory if you die. I know you want to kill your brother for vengeance, but that will do nothing. He will eventually be blinded by the very eyes he used to kill your clan, a punishment worse than death. It is your duty to your clan to live. If you disagree, go ahead and kill me. I will not defend myself," Ren said, stepping forward and looking Sasuke dead in the eye, all while Karin, the Oto kunoichi, Sakura, and Naruto looked on wide-eyed. "No," Sasuke said, dropping the kunai and looking down shamefaced as the mark receded. "Congratulations, Sasuke. You have defeated Orochimaru's seal. It fed on your lust for power and vengeance, but the power it gave would in the end destroy you. If you want to gain power, gain it for the sake of your village, and your clan, not for vengeance," Ren said, putting a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, "Now, pull yourself together, we have flak jackets waiting for us."

Once Ren had more securely bound the Oto nin and introduced his team to Karin, he picked up the Oto kunoichi bridal fashion and the team went to the central tower, where they found a room where they found an inscription, which Sakura decoded as a riddle. Ren produced the scrolls and they opened them across each other. In a puff of smoke, Iruka appeared to find what would go down in history as one of the strangest arrivals to the second exam ever. There stood Ren, his clothing ripped, torn, and cut, carrying a bound kunoichi he had taken prisoner, a foreign genin hanging close by him, and his teammates in similar condition to himself. "I had a whole speech prepared, but it seems I should call for ANBU instead. "Only for this one," Ren said, holding up his prisoner, "Karin-san has done no wrong. She was abandoned by her team and accompanied us for safety." "Very well. Karin-san will be allowed to stay. But, she will be your responsibility since she came in as part of your group, she will have to sleep in one of your rooms, since the rooms are three-person accommodations. Also, I need to stay here to greet newcomers, so can you watch the prisoner in a room?," Iruka said, seeming awkward. "Sure, sensei. Have fun," Ren replied as Team 7 moved on to their assigned rooms.

"Alright, we need to organize who is sleeping in which room. Personally, I think we should go by gender," Ren said, with the Oto-nin still in his arms. Sakura, however, was uneasy with this, as she was a bit leery of the Oto nin and Karin, so Ren was assigned to a room with Karin and the prisoner, while Sakura was with Sasuke and Naruto. He took in the Oto prisoner and, after divesting her of her equipment pouches and performing a frisking for concealed weapons, unbound her.

"You are free to use the bathroom, but be warned, I will not be letting you out of my sight. Try to escape and you'll be back in bindings. Am I understood?" Ren said sternly, looking seriously at the Oto nin, who was still humiliated by the frisking she had been given. She nodded, not meeting his steely gaze. As she left the room, Ren followed, a a hand staying near his kunai holster just in case. "Do you have to watch me pee?" the Oto genin asked in a spiteful tone. "Yes, I do. Otherwise you may try to escape or kill yourself, which I cannot allow. You're lucky I don't still have you bound," Ren replied frostily, crossing his arms and leaning on the doorway.

After that exchange, the Oto nin clammed up, while Ren stood watch with stony silence. All of this made Karin a bit nervous, and she spent most of her time fidgeting while sitting on the bed. When the ANBU arrived they cuffed her properly and took her off to a cozy cell in T&I to see if they could coax any information out of her. After the prisoner had been hauled off, Ren sat down on the edge of his bed and sighed wearily. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Karin-san," Ren apologized. "It's alright, Ren-san," Karin replied, not looking him in the eye. "Well, I don't know about you, but I could use a meal. Care to join me?" Ren asked, standing up. "Okay," Karin answered, following after the Senju.

The time allotted for the exam came and went, and all competitors were ordered to report to the center of the tower. There in the bowels of the building was a large circular arena with high walls and seating around the rim. A large screen dominated one wall, which the competitors now faced. A Konoha nin wearing standard gear and a bandana-style forehead protector stood before them, a senbon hanging loosely from his lips. That had just received a speech from the Hokage explaining the true purpose of the Chunin Exam, and the man in front of them now stepped forward. "Now, due to the unusually large number of you, we need to hold a set of preliminary matches in order to reduce your numbers so that the third exam will have only the best of you continuing on. The board will display two names. These two will stay, while the others will head into the seating above. I will be the referee in the fights, and If I say stop, you stop. Now, before we begin, does anyone want to leave now ?" He said, businesslike despite a calm demeanor. There were no takers, so, with everyone spoken for, the computer did its work. The first names produced were Uchiha Sasuke and Akado Yoroi. "Give'm hell," Ren said, sending Sasuke a thumbs-up as the Uchiha faced off against one of Kabuto's teammates.

What followed was an odd fight, to say the least. While Sasuke would normally be tossing katon jutsu and end it quickly, but he'd been forbidden from using chakra lest he inadvertently left himself open to corruption by Orochimaru's little 'gift'. Thus, the Uchiha of Team 7 was limited to taijutsu only, which was a liability that was made worse when Yoroi revealed that he had a technique to drain chakra through physical contact. However, using a bit of quick thinking and a move plagiarized from Rock Lee during a spar a few weeks back when Gai had shown up and challenged his Eternal Rival's team to spar with his own, to see who was a better teacher. Ren had gotten Tenten as an opponent, while Sasuke faced off against Neji, and Naruto fought Rock Lee. Lee won, battering Naruto down with his strong taijutsu, while Ren, using his bokken to avoid killing Tenten, had managed to defeat the Weapons Mistress. Sasuke had battled Neji to a draw, and thus Gai called it a tie and exchanged a disturbing sunset hug with Lee. Over the course Sasuke had apparently used to the Sharingan to copy Lee, and now used a modified version which he called Shishi Rendan to defeat Yoroi.

The next match was between Kankuro, the black-clad Suna genin with the face paint who had threatened Konohamaru, against the other member of Kabuto's team, a Misumi Tsurugu, who revealed that he too had an unusual ability, which was to extend his limbs and manipulate them as if they were rubber. He managed to entwine Kankuro, only for it to be revealed that "Kankuro" was a puppet which then impaled the Konoha genin with poisoned blades.

After that, Sakura and Ino were put on the board. Ren put his head in his hands as the match turned into a painfully protracted cat fight, albeit with a few clever moves and tricks, ending in a double knockout. "They really seem to bring out the worst in each other," Ren mused, shaking his head, "Let's hope we have a better match next." The jonin sensei, who were sitting nearby, nodded in agreement.

The next match was between Temari, the blonde with the fan they had met earlier, and Tenten Higurashi. What followed was a clear demonstration of the advantages of futon ninjutsu when facing a weapons user as Temari used her fan-enhanced jutsu to send the Weapons Mistress' projectiles away. Even when Tenten pulled out all the stops, Temari had her opponent land on her unforgiving iron-cased fan.

After the battlefield had been cleared of weaponry, the next match was between Shino Aburame and Shikamaru Nara. "Hmm. Shikamaru's larger-scale tactics against Shino's analysis and strategy. This could go either way," Ren mused, looking on with interest.


	9. Chapter 9

Naruto != mine

~Chapter 9~

Shino Aburame stood opposite Shikamaru Nara in the arena where their chance to reach the third part of the Chunin exam would be decided. "Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, as was his habit whenever he had to do something even remotely strenuous. Chronic laziness was a common trait in the males of the Nara clan, along with a tendency to marry women with strict, dominant personalities who rendered them "whipped".

Shino, on the other hand, remained silent and inscrutable as always behind his dark glasses and high collar. Not unusual for a clan well-known for their stoicism. They were also known for their usage of their trademark kikaichu for combat, tracking, and other tasks, living in symbiosis with the insects, providing both living quarters and sustenance for the chakra-eaters in exchange for their aid.

The two clan heirs faced off across from one another as the proctor took a position between them. "Hajime!" the proctor announced, dropping his hand and clearing the vicinity of the two fighters. Shikamaru immediately raised his hand. "I forfeit on account of being unable to defeat Aburame-san with my current equipment and in this environment," Shimamaru stated. Shino merely raised an eyebrow, but he nodded. "Winner by forfeit, Shino Aburame," Genma said, looking a bit irritated. "Lazy son of a bitch. I'm willing to bet that the decision was motivated more by laziness than combat conditions," Ren commented, much to the chagrin of Asuma, who was sitting nearby. "Unfortunately, I think he might be right," Asuma groaned, facepalming.

The next match was between Naruto and Kiba. "Alright, Akamaru, we got an easy one!" Kiba said exuberantly, leaping into the ring. Before Naruto could follow suit, Ren put a hand on his shoulder. "Taunt him, bait him, and lure him into a trap. Try to take out the dog first," Ren muttered, getting a nod from his orange-clad teammate. Despite his behavior and lack of knowledge, Naruto was actually quite clever and sly, and capable of great feats of trickery and deception. This talent had started out as pranking, but now it was honed into a much more dangerous ability. Naruto may never be a large-scale strategist, but as a squad-level tactician he was a dangerous one. Combined with how he had recently picked up some new abilities, this would not be the cakewalk Kiba imagined.

Naruto dropped down into the combat arena, wearing a sly fox-smile. "What are you grinning about, dead-last?" Kiba asked, "Are you looking forward to being beaten?" "Far from it, mutt. I'm just thinking about how you'll be whimpering when I beat you, and your little dog too," Naruto replied, cracking his neck. "Fight!" The proctor started off the match and got clear. "This is in the bag," Kiba said. "Just what I was thinking," Naruto replied, "Now, why don't we settle this like men. No backup, just you and me, one-on-one. After all, if I'm as weak as you claim, you don't need any help." "Fine by me, loser. Akamaru, sit this one out," Kiba ordered the white dog, who went to sit on the edge of the arena. Naruto then settled into a taijutsu stance. Unlike the unrefined brawling which he used before, now he had an actual style. It was fast, brutal, and direct, going for painful, punishing strikes to batter down opponents. It suited Naruto well, as it allowed him to pummel opponents from all sides with his kage bunshin.

Kiba, meanwhile, used a clan technique that lent him a bestial appearance and took his own stance, a hunched, primal position. "Come on, mutt. Are you afraid of the dead-last? Or are you just full of shit?" Naruto taunted. Kiba growled and launched himself at Naruto, only to be met by a knee to the solar plexus followed up by an elbow to the back, leaving him gasping for air laying on the ground. Naruto backed away and resettled into his stance. "What's the matter? Can't take a hit?" A low growl was Kiba's only reply as he launched himself at Naruto once more. This time he scored a hit, raking his claws across Naruto's jacket, ruining the garment. Naruto simply ripped off and tossed aside the coat, leaving him in a blue short-sleeve with his red spiral on the back. He barely dodged the Inuzuka's next attempt, a gatsuuga which nearly gutted him. However, Naruto was far from finished. He formed his hands into a distinctive cross-shaped seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A mass of clones now stood around the original. Kiba immediately attacked again, only to be suddenly blown off course by a futon: daitoppa. Naruto's clones proceeded to grab the canine boy and bound him with wire and proceeded to dispel. The original now used the wire to drag Kiba to him and unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of kidney punches. He finally ended with a vicious knee to the groin followed by an axe kick, leaving a thoroughly beaten Kiba on the ground whimpering in pain. "Naruto Uzumaki is the winner," Genma announced as Kiba was taken away by medics. "Well done, Naruto," Kakashi said, giving his student an eye smile. "I thought for sure that Kiba would win. How did the Academy dead-last improve so much?" Kurenai wondered aloud. "By training. He is by no means a natural genius, but he is tireless in the pursuit of a goal," Kakashi answered as he returned to his seat.

The next match was between Hinata and Neji Hyuga, and it was indeed to a spectacle. Hinata was initially uncertain, but after some encouragement by Naruto she called upon some inner reserve of determination and proceeded to show just why the Hyuga and their Jyuken were feared as she and Neji matched each other blow for blow, but the Branch family prodigy got the upper hand, and was about to unleash a lethal blow when he was stopped by the sensei and the proctor. The medics came out and took the severely injured Hinata away for treatment and Neji returned to the stands.

The next match was if anything more brutal. Rock Lee fought Gaara, and though he shed his extremely heavy weights an opened the inner gates, he was in the end caught by Gaara's sand and had his arm and leg crushed. He was rushed to the hospital while Gaara returned to the stands, cold as ever.

The next match was between Karui, a dark-skinned redhead from the Kumo team who wore a sword which resembled a lengthened ninjato with white wrappings and a red sheath and same on her back, and Chouji. Chouji was initially unwilling to fight, but after Asuma promised him a meal if he won, he eagerly jumped into the fray. However, his body enlargement techniques proved to be ineffective, and before long he was being cut up by the Kumo kunoichi's swordsmanship as she nimbly dodged his slow attacks. Eventually, the pain and blood loss caught up to him and he passed out and got rushed to the hospital. As Karui walked back up to where her teammates were seated, Ren nodded to her. "That was some impressive swordsmanship. Who taught you?" He asked. "He is not allowed outside the village for certain reasons, so I am filling in for him. Darui at your service" came the reply from behind him. He turned to see a dark-skinned man in Kumo gear with white hair and a large sword with what appeared to be a folding blade on his back, which perplexed Ren, but he brushed it aside. "I am Ren Senju. It is a pleasure to meet you, Darui-san," the Senju heir said, offering a hand to Darui, which the large man took. "Quite a grip you got there," Darui noted. "I have my reasons. But that will have to wait, my name is up. It has been a pleasure, but I have to go." With that Ren used a mist shunshin to get to the center of the arena. "This might not be as dull as I expected," Darui mused as Ren reappeared. His opponent, Omoi, the only male Kumo genin, strode across from him.

He wore what appeared to be pretty standard Kumo gear, and had dark skin and a rather neutral look. A sucker was in his mouth while a long shinobigatana much like his teammate's was sheathed on his back. "Kick his ass, Omoi!" shouted Karui. Ren merely took an iaijutsu stance and pressed his thumb against Mizuchi's tsuba to pop the habaki free from the saya. "I have a proposition for you, Omoi-san," Ren said, "A pure kenjutsu battle, may the best swordsman win?" "Alright," Omoi shrugged and drew his blade. "Begin," the proctor barely managed to get out of the way in time as Mizuchi arced through the air towards Omoi's neck. The genins' blades clashed as Omoi intercepted the strike. What followed to most was nothing but a deadly dance dictated by the rhythm of clashing steel as the swordsmen engaged in a contest of skill and dexterity. Omoi had a style which seemed to be similar to the style Ren had gotten from Hayate, but with more emphasis on defense. However, the dance was interrupted when Ren blocked a downward slash and pivoted so that he was behind the blade facing the same way as Omoi and drove an elbow into his opponents gut to stun him and placed Mizuchi at his throat. "The winner is Ren Senju," Genma announced. Ren moved away and sheathed his weapon as Omoi did the same. "I thank you for the match, Omoi-san. It is a pleasure to cross blades with one as skilled as yourself," Ren said, bowing to the Kumo genin before returning. As he returned to his seat, he was stopped by Samui, the blonde he had spoken with before the second exam. "That was quite cool," she said, a ghost of a smile on her face. "Thank you, Samui-san. I look forward to seeing your match," Ren replied, giving her a small bow before continuing to his seat.

Alas, it was not to be, as Kabuto have up on a lame-ass excuse of being "out of chakra", to which Ren muttered a quiet "bullshit". The genin were given their matches and dismissed for one month to improve their skills. Team 7 was pulled aside by Kakashi for an impromptu meeting. "You all did well making it this far guys, but now you really have to buckle down. Sasuke, I am going to be working with you for the training period. Sakura, you need to improve your physical training, so I'm sending you to work with Gai. Naruto, go to the Sandaime's office tomorrow morning. He said he has arranged a special tutor for you. All the details are on these slips of paper," Kakashi said, distributing the aforementioned notes. "Ren, I tried to get Yugao Uzuki to continue your kenjutsu training, but she refused. It appears she blames you still for her fiancee's death." "That is alright. I already have some plans. Thank you for trying, though." With that the team dispersed, with Kakashi leading Sasuke away to seal his "gift" from Orochimaru while the others returned home to rest.

The next day Ren stood in a clearing in the forest surrounding his clan compound. "Alright, let's try it," he muttered, cutting his thumb slightly with a kunai before forming handseals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" A small cloud if smoke appeared and when it cleared Ren saw… an egg. "Huh," Ren said as the apparently not-yet born eagle poofed away. He tried again with more chakra, this time getting a newborn chick. "Small improvement," Ren muttered. It went on on this vein, Ren incrementally increasing the amount of chakra he used until finally he summoned a light-gray eagle around the size of a house cat. "Good day, Eagle-san. I am Ren Senju. What is your name?" He asked the raptor. "I am Washitoru, son of Washitoshi of the Eagle Clan. I take it you are the one who summoned me?" Asked the bird, cocking its head and giving him a stern visual examination. "Yes. I wish to inquire as to whether as a summoner of your clan I had access to any special techniques, combat styles, or other knowledge kept by your clan," Ren said politely. "Take a hold of my wing and I can take you with me to the aerie. There you can ask the Scroll Keeper, Ryujin-sama. He is in charge of such things," Washitoru said, offering a wing. "I thank you, Washitoru-san," Ren said, taking hold of the appendage as bird and boy vanished in a cloud of smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Ren found himself standing before a tunnel into mountain which appeared to have been hewn into the mountain by the claws of some ancient creature. "It was a pleasure, Washitoru-san," Ren said, bowing before entering the tunnel. At the end he saw a warm, flickering light, and when the tunnel ended he found himself in a massive cavern with honeycombed walls, presumably containing scrolls, and multiple levels lit by paper lanterns. The most notable part, though, was the creature who sat at the center of the massive stone library.

It was a massive dragon, easily the size of the Kyuubi, with many smaller individuals moving around it. Its serpentine body was coated in scales which were a deep, oceanic blue, and it had wicked claws at the tips of its five-fingered feet. It lowered its whiskered face upon hearing Ren approach and affixed him with a piercing gaze from stormy gray eyes. "Welcome, Ren-san. You are are the first human in over a century to visit my library," the dragon said, its voice a deep rumble. And thus is how Ren Senju met Ryujin, the Scroll Keeper and Lord of the Mizuchi (water dragons). Ren was taken under the dragon's wing and taught about dragon suiton manipulation, the history of the Elemental nations, and even picked up a new taijutsu style, called Washi no Kiba, which used swift strikes to deal many blows in rapid hit-and-run assaults. In terms of kenjutsu, inspired by the fluidity of the dragons' movements, he made his own style more fluid and flexible to flow around enemies and their attacks in addition to finally naming it. As a final gift from Ryujin, he was also given a second summon of a unique nature.

"Ryujin-sensei, before we do this, I must ask, will it cancel out my contract with the eagles?" Ren asked as Ryujin. "No, Ren-san. We and the eagles share an ancient alliance, and Washinushi-dono has already consented," Ryujin said. "Now, the Mizuchi Clan does not use a scroll, but a tattoo. Hold out your arm, please," Ryujin instructed. Ren did so, presenting his sword arm to the dragon. "To summon a dragon, apply blood to the tattoo and focus chakra," Ryujin said, dipping its claw in sealing ink and positioning it over Ren's arm. "Prepare yourself, this may hurt." The massive dragon tapped the Senju's arm with the tip of his ink-soaked claw, and the ink spread itself over the Senju Heir's arm and took the shape of a gray-and-blue dragon twining itself around his forearm from its tail at his elbow up to the head at his wrist. Ren gritted his teeth as the ink etched itself into his skin, leaving a burning sensation. "Now, Ren, you will need far larger reserves to even consider summoning a high-ranking dragon, but the lower-level Clan members will be able to come to your aid. Go and say your goodbyes to the Eagles and take your leave of the aerie."

When Ren arrived back in Konoha at the Senju clan compound where he left from, two days before the start of the Chunin exams. He went into the entranceway and was met by the sight of Tsunade and Shizune sitting in the foyer. Hearing his footsteps, they turned around. Shizune's first reaction was to glomp him, crying. Tsunade, meanwhile, stomped towards her downed relative with murder in her eyes. Ton-ton merely cowered in the corner. "Hello, Oba-san. What brings you back to Konoha?" Ren asked nervously as Shizune squeezed him tightly enough to cause mild discomfort. "You go missing for a month prior to the Chunin exams' final stage, where you are set to appear, coinciding with the departure of many foreign nin after an attempt was made on your life by Orochimaru. We thought you were kidnapped or dead. Sarutobi-sensei called me in to tell me this. We thought we had lost you! Where were you all this time?" Tsunade demanded, glaring down at him. "I was training with the Eagle Summons. I got the contract after an eagle saved me from the Snakes when Orochimaru sent me to their summon realm during the Chunin exam. The elder and the Boss summon offered me the chance to sign the contract. I managed to summon one of the smaller eagles and he brought me with him to the aerie where the Eagles reside. There I met the Scroll Keeper, who got me the knowledge I sought. I spent the rest of my time training," Ren said, glad that his right arm was hidden, preventing his new tattoo from coming into view and causing any more awkward questions or possibly painful repercussions for him. "Shizune-neesan?" Ren asked, trying to wake , only to find that she had gone to sleep with him still in her tight grip. "Help?" Ren asked Tsunade, worried. "Nah," Tsunade replied, walking away, going to inform the Hokage that Ren had reappeared.

The next day, after an awkward breakfast in which Shizune and Ren avoided eye contact due to embarrassment from the compromising position they were in the day before, the Senju heir prepared all of his equipment for the final stage of the exams. He now wore a single grey arm warmer similar to those worn by ANBU but longer, covering up his summoning tattoo. He had also swapped out his standard forehead protector for a bandana-style, in order to keep his hair, which had grown out over the course of his month at the aerie, out of his eyes. Checking his inventory, he nodded and went to the clan library to read, intending to rest for tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 10

Naruto != mine

~Chapter 10~

The day of reckoning had come for the hopefuls who had reached the third stage of the Chunin Exam. Their matches were set, and so, after some initial words by the Hokage to the various distinguished guests, the competitors were sent to the stands while the two fighters for the first match, Neji and Naruto, faced off. The Hyuga branch prodigy spouted off something about Naruto being "fated to lose", which only made Naruto, intent on putting Neji through the same grinder that he had put his cousin through in the prelims, even angrier as he rebutted the claims. The proctor began the fight, and two closed with each other. Initially, Neji had the upper hand, closing Naruto's tenketsu one by one until the orange-clad Uzumaki was nearly paralyzed. Confident that Naruto was defeated, Neji turned his back to return to the stands, deactivating his bloodline limit as he did so. However, Naruto, ever the unpredictable one, managed to brute-force his tenketsu back open and summoned shadow clones who grabbed Neji by the arms so that Naruto could unleash a vicious beating upon him, leaving him unconscious with a broken nose, black eyes, a dislocated jaw, cracked ribs, and bruises all over his body. Naruto let the body collapse as the medics rushed in. "Fate means nothing. It's just a way to blame your problems on something other than your own cowardice. Hope you enjoy hospital food," Naruto said as he walked to the medical station to have his own internal wounds checked out.

The next match scheduled was for Shino against Kankurou. However, before anyone could even move, Kankurou forfeited, leading to resentful muttering throughout the stadium. The next match announced was between Temari of Suna and Karui from Kumo. The two proceeded to the center of the stone arena. "This should be easy. I'll be able to blow away a little cloud like you no sweat," Temari said cockily. "I'm going to turn you into mincemeat," Karui growled. "Oh shit," Ren commented in the stands, "she has already lost her cool and given Temari an advantage. This does not bode well…" And it did not go well for the Kumo genin. Karui, having lost her cool early on, was overcome by light cuts from Futon ninjutsu and also head trauma from being struck by a closed fan's heavy iron case. Temari had countered Karui's every move and responded accordingly, leading to it seeming more like orchestration than combat.

The third match was between Ren and Samui. Eager to face off against the buxom kunoichi, Ren used a mist/water shunshin to arrive at the center of the arena. Samui took the more sedate route down, and the two faced off. Hayate called fight and the two combatants leapt back and prepared jutsu. Ren fired off a salvo of water bullets from a one-handed seal, while Samui fired a lightning bolt which Ren narrowly dodged, while Samui easily dodged his slower projectiles, a neutral expression on her face.

Ren decided to hold back to see just how well he could do without falling back on his kenjutsu. His speed was apparently surprising enough to make her raise an eyebrow as he blitzed her, unleashing a rapid volley of punches which she ducked under. He managed to avoid her returning uppercut by leaping over her and rolling away. After a few more failed runs, Ren decided to up the ante and drew Mizuchi before tossing it into the air and catching it in a reverse grip. "This is the first time I have ever used my personal style against an opponent. I look forward to seeing how it does," Ren said. He settled into an odd position which resembled a sprinter's stance, Mizuchi held so that it's flat back edge lay against his arm. Samui reached behind her and drew her tanto from the small of her back. The reason for the stance became clear when, in a sudden surge of movement, he raced forwards and brought his arm and wrist around in a whipping motion, adding force to to the blow that caused his weapon to clash against Samui's with enough force to push her back and leave a chip in the hard edge of her tanto's blade. As they seperated, Samui's look became even colder than usual, if that was indeed possible.

"My apologies, Samui-san. I will gladly pay for a replacement," Ren said as Samui launched herself at him. For the first few minutes, he weathered the onslaught, blocking or evading her attacks, but she managed to catch his blade in such a manner that, with a circular movement, he was forced to release it and watch helplessly as it buried itself in the sand by the far wall or suffer a broken wrist. Then he was set upon once more, but he managed to catch her wrist, only for her other hand to try a downward strike with a kunai. He caught the second blow, and thus ended up in a power struggle. She worsened it by hooking her leg behind his and toppling both to the ground, him on his back holding off her weapons.

Ren, seeing the dire straits he had fallen into, decided to put his reverse-grip to use and tightened his grip, forcing her to release her weapons, which fell point first into the sand to either side his face, though her tanto nicked his left cheek and left a light cut which seeped blood. He them managed to escape the situation by keeping a hold of her wrists and using his legs to flip her over his head. He quickly flipped up to his feet and, expelling the require water from his mouth, used Suiton: Suiben no jutsu to form a water whip. He used this whip to bind his opponent, hoping to end the match… only for his "captive" to channel raiton chakra through his whip, giving him a painful electric shock that broke his concentration on the jutsu, fortunately for him terminating the connection. "Oh yeah, Kumo tends towards Raiton," Ren said a bit clumsily as he recovered. Meanwhile, in the stands, the match was producing a great deal of interest.

The kage booth was currently a center of discussion. "The Senju certainly is talented for a genin. He ha so far responded to each threat as it presented itself, and seems to have a solid grasp of basic skills," the Kazekage noted. "Yes, but that last move was a mistake," A, the yondaime raikage, noted. "Samui has also shown a great deal of talent as well," the Hokage replied. There was also spirited conversation among the jonin in the stands. "What have you been teaching that kid, Kakashi? He is easily chunin level, if not tokujo," Asuma asked. "Such youth!" Gai added. "He is actually mostly self-trained. I just taught him basic kenjutsu and chakra control with some physical conditioning. The rest came from his own independent studies and materials given to him by Hayate," the lazy cyclops replied. "Impressive," Kurenai commented. "Indeed," Anko said, licking her lips as she watched, making the other jonin give her strange looks. "What?"

Back on the field, the two combatants were facing off, both breathing heavily. Ren somewhat clumsily formed a hand sign familiar to his teammates and the more experienced ninja in the audience. "Looks like I have to use it, then," he said, "Kirigakure no jutsu." A large quantity of fog flooded out of his mouth an blanketed the combat area in a thick layer of mist. What happened next was invisible to those in attendance, and all that was heard was the clashing of kunai. However, the result was clear when the fog was cleared away to reveal that Ren and two clones, who quickly dispelled into puddles of water, standing with kunai prepared around Samui, whose top had been damaged by cuts which had missed due to Ren being a little thrown off by the recent electric shock, and now revealed far more than it should. "I surrender," Samui said, and Ren put away his kunai. "Here. Sorry about your clothing," Ren said, removing his shirt and handing it to her. Seeing as she was barely decent, she did not object and pulled on the garment, which, despite being a tight fit due to her generous bust, was still better than her ruined shirt. She did blush slightly, though, upon seeing Ren's bare torso through his long-sleeved net mail undershirt as he retrieved Mizuchi and also grabbed her tanto and kunai, presenting them to her in a formal manner. "Thank you," she said, carefully taking the weapons and putting them away. "Thank you for such a challenging match. And remember, since I broke your tanto I will pay either to fix or replace it," Ren replied as he walked back up to the stands with the Kumo genin. "Your cheek is a bit bloody," Samui told him. "Oh, yes, I forgot," Ren said as he paused to remove his hitai-ate and ripped off unnecessary material, leaving a strip of cloth about the width of the metal plate. Tying the remainder around his left arm, he made a bit of water in his mouth by kneading chakra and wet the improvised rag. He dabbed at his cheek, trying to remove the dried blood. "Did I get it?" He asked, looking at Samui. "No, here," she said, grabbing the cloth and wiping away the dried blood he'd missed. "Thank you," Ren said, giving a small smile which made Samui blush.

The moment was ruined by Omoi and Karui. "What's taking so long, Sam…" she trailed off as she saw the scene. "Oh no. Samui's fallen in love with the Senju heir and since he's a clan heir she'll have leave the village to be with him in Konoha and there will be a war…" "Shut up, Omoi. That was not cool," Samui told her teammate while Ren tried to slink away. "Meet me at the hotel tomorrow so we can find a new tanto," Samui ordered. "You got it, Samui-san," Ren said before fleeing the scene to return to the stands.

When he arrived he sat down beside Naruto and Sakura. "What took you so long, Ren? The match has almost started," Naruto asked. "Just making arrangements to meet Samui-san tomorrow so I could buy her a new tanto," Ren said. He turned forward to watch the next match when he was glomped. "Hi, Ren-kun," Ino said in a suggestive manner, rubbing herself against him. "Ino-san, this is not really the best time for this. And don't you like Sasuke?" Ren asked, trying to escape her clutches before her hands wandered too low. "But you are so much nicer to me, Ren-kun. Don't you find me attractive," Ino whined, giving him the infamous and feared puppy dog eyes. "Yes, I find you attractive, but this is hardly the way to go about this," Ren said. "Why are you so cold, Ren-kun? After all, you were my first kiss," Ino breathed into his ear, making him stiffen and gulp loudly. He was almost grateful when the genjutsu made all of the civilians fall asleep and chaos broke out in the stadium forcing him into action mode. He pushed Ino off and dispelled the genjutsu on all the ninja nearby. He popped a soldier pill and drew Mizuchi, swapping to a reverse grip. Instead of wasting chakra with ninjutsu, he used kenjutsu to cut down the invading nin, backed up by his comrades. He was progressively cutting down Oto nin when he noticed Temari and Kankuro escaping with some form of sand creature. Seeing that his fellow genin had things under control, he followed, staying out of sight. When Temari stopped to stall his teammates, he struck, lashing out with a water whip to bind her. "Go on," he told his team, "I'll take care of her." He pulled out some wire and bound her hands behind on either side of her fan and then bound her body and ankles. He picked her up bridal style and took her to his clan compound, the closest secure area he had, untied her and locked her in his own bathroom without her equipment, which he stowed in the adjacent bedroom and summoned Washitoru to keep watch before he left via shunshin.

When he arrived back in Konoha he saw three massive snakes conjoined at the tail wreaking havoc in town. Seeing as he lacked the ability to take on such a large beast he made a tiny cut on his thumb and executed a kuchiyose no jutsu with all the chakra he could muster. The eagle which he summoned was larger than the snakes, and was a storm-cloud gray color. "I am Washitoshi. What is it you require, Senju-san?" the eagle asked. "There is a trio of gigantic snakes destroying Konoha. I wish to enlist your aid in disposing of them," Ren said. "Hang on. This may get a bit rough," the eagle said, lowering its head so Ren could jump onto its head, where he anchored himself with chakra. Once Ren was aboard, the eagle took to the air, massive wings flapping. From high above, he screeched, and, with unerring accuracy, flapped his wings and released a barrage of sharp-tipped feathers which thudded into one of the snakes, killing a head. A second snake head was torn off by a diving attack when the head was grasped in Washitoshi's talons. The third head, unexpectedly, was killed by a toad with a pair of massive katana on its back falling on it from a midair summon. Ren asked Washitoshi to land and hopped off, thanking the massive raptor with a bow before he de-summoned. "Not bad, kid. So, the eagles finally found themselves a summoner. Picky birds have been looking for years now," an eccentric-looking man said. "I'd rather have picky rids than yakuza toads," Ren countered. "Yeah, yeah. I'm Jiraiya, Toad Sage and famous author. Now, if you have any other tricks up your sleeve, now would be the time to show them," the older nin said, indicating a mob of Chunin and jonin around them. "I just may have something which will fit the bill," Ren said, tearing off his arm protector and and the lower part of his net mail sleeve. He popped a thord soldier pill, shoved his hand into his equipment pouch, and pricked his finger on a shuriken. Once enough blood had welled up, he focused his chakra and rubbed the blood on the now-revealed summoning tattoo. In an unexpected eruption of mist instead of smoke, a ten-foot-long silver-scaled dragon appeared. "You are full of surprises, kid," Jiraiya said, looking at the dragon with awe.

"How may I help you, Ren-san?" the serpentine creature asked. "I could use some help with these invaders, Ryumaru-san," Ren replied. "There do seem to be quite a few. This should be fun," the dragon said, turning its head to fix the Suna/Oto force with a fierce gaze. The invaders, perturbed, were unable to react in time as Ren drew Mizuchi and twirled it into a reverse grip. Nodding to Ryumaru and Jiraiya, Ren took up a defensive position, holding himself so that he presented his right side to the enemy. A disadvantage of the reverse grip was that it left the other side of his body more open, and thus he kept that side facing away from enemies. He and Ryumaru both triggered a suiton jutsu into the crowd. He used a one-handed seal to fire off water bullets, while Ryumaru fired a high-pressure jet which actually pierced through the bodies of those unfortunate enough to get hit by it, which he swept through, cutting numbers drastically. Jiraiya, meanwhile, fired out a barrage of oil ballets which he then ignited with a flame bullet. Numbers sufficiently thinned, Ren dashed into the mob, cutting down enemies as he went. By combining the principles of his taijutsu with his kenjutsu, he was able to swiftly cut down the unprepared Oto nin. The remaining force from the initial assault was so intimidated that many ran in terror from the dragon, the Toad Sannin, and the Senju. Those who remained were swiftly dealt with by the trio, who fought in tandem, covering each other.


	11. Chapter 11

Naruto != mine

AN- Welcome, readers! Thank you for sticking with this. The emails about new followers and favorites are nice to see. Reviews are appreciated. Now, on to what you actually want to read!

~Chapter 11~

Ren lay in the hospital after the battle, dealing with the results of taking three soldier pills in the span of an hour and then using up the chakra in high-drain summoning jutsu. He was laying in the bed resting after the repeat chakra exhaustion when Shizune entered his room. "Hello, Shizune-neesan. Are you visiting or acting in an official capacity?" Ren asked the medic who had become a sort of sister-figure to him. "Visiting. We finished with the wounded a few hours ago. Now the rest is in the hands of the hospital staff," Shizune said, sitting on the edge of the bed tiredly. "What news on the Hokage?" Ren asked. The Hokage had been ambushed by a disguised Orochimaru, who had assumed the identity of the Kazekage, but the intervention of the visiting Raikage had aided the aging Sandaime. Unfortunately, Orochimaru escaped, albeit not without having his arms mangled by A. The Hokage had been rather critically injured, though.

"He is recovering as we speak. Tsunade-sama is tending to him. And, the prisoner you took is probably going to be sent back to Suna as a sign of goodwill between villages to prevent further resentment," Shizune said. As they were speaking, a nurse entered the room. "Senju-san, the doctor has said that you are cleared for discharge," the nurse said ,"but you are under orders not to overexert yourself." "Thank you," Ren said, slowly getting out the bed. Once he had gotten dressed, with the assistance of an extremely embarrassed Shizune as he was still a bit weak from the crash from his chakra overdose. With the assistance of his still-blushing sister figure, he managed to climb into a wheelchair and got rolled to the clan compound. At the gates, however, he stopped Shizune from wheeling him on. "Actually, would it be alright if I went on ahead to the hotel where the foreign shinobi are staying? I agreed to meet Samui-san there to buy her a new tanto," Ren said. "Alright. But if you end up hurting yourself I will tie you down until you recover. I that understood?" Shizune said, reverting to stern doctor mode. "I know you've already seen me naked, but isn't that moving a little fast, Neesan," Ren snarked, rolling away as Shizune spluttered and blushed.

Ren wheeled himself into the hotel lobby where he found several foreign nin in the lobby. He wheeled his way to the front desk. "Hello. May I ask which room the team from Kumogakure is in?" He asked politely. The girl at the desk gave him the information and, once he had thanked her, he proceeded to take the elevator up to the proper floor. He pulled up outside the room and knocked on the door. It swung open to reveal Samui. "Hello, Samui-san. You told me to meet you here?" Ren asked. "That is correct. How did you end up in a wheelchair?" the buxom blonde Kumo nin asked, looking down at him. "Three soldier pills in one day. And repeated chakra exhaustion. I'll be fine," Ren replied. Samui accepted the answer and the two departed.

Samui looked dubiously at the Higurashi weapon shop. It seemed to be a modest shop, nothing remarkable, not even smoke coming from the chimney. Samui pushed Ren in and went to the counter, where Tenten was currently sharpening a kunai. When she noticed Ren's wheelchair-bound state the knife and whetstone vanished and she appeared beside him, fretting. "I'll be fine. I just need to rest for a few days," Ren said, attempting to calm down the weapon's mistress. "Uncool," Samui commented, earning a sharp glare from Tenten. "Come on, there is no need for this to become a confrontation," Ren said, trying to defuse the situation. He partially succeeded, and they got down to business. "What are you here for?" Tenten asked. "I broke Samui-san's tanto during our match, so I am paying for a replacement weapon," Ren replied. "Take a look around. There are plenty to choose from," Tenten said, returning to her kunai sharpening, though she kept a close eye on Samui. They browsed for a good time, Samui testing various blades. Ren noticed that she was somewhat reluctant to return a particularly expensive blade of the highest quality, and her gaze lingered on it. "Don't worry, Samui-san. There is more than enough money in my clan accounts to pay for any weapon you choose," Ren said. Unexpectedly, the buxom blonde hugged Ren's head, planting it firmly in her cleavage. When she finally pulled away, Ren was unconscious an sported a light nosebleed. When Ren finally came to, he saw the two girls hovering over him. Tenten looked concerned, while Samui was blushing and embarrassed. Ren quickly wrote out a check and fled back towards his clan compound, where, once he arrived, he slumped in the wheelchair. "Why does these things always happen to me?" Ren muttered to himself. "What's the problem?" Shizune asked. "It just seems like I seem to attract higher-than-average incidence of awkward moments," Ren said, "But right now, I'm a bit tired. Could you help me up the stairs?" Shizune nodded to the sheepish question and helped him up the stairs to his room, where he collapsed on the bed and fell asleep near-instantly.

Two days later, Shizune cleared Ren to return to duty, which he did gladly after two days' inactivity. He arrived at the training ground to find that it was empty. Confused, he decided to try to find them another way. He executed kuchiyose no jutsu and, in the usual smoky manner, Washitoru appeared. "Good day, Senju-san. How may I assist you?" the cat-sized raptor asked politely. "I was wondering if you could help me locate my team, as you are able to get a much better perspective than I," Ren replied. "Describe your teammates, please." "Sensei is tall, thin, wears standard jonin gear, but he has silver hair which stands almost straight up, and may be carrying a small book with orange covers. Sasuke has black hair spiked in the back, and wears black shorts and a black shirt with a red-and-white fan on the back. Sakura has pink hair and wears a red dress with green shorts. Lastly, there is Naruto, who will probably be the easiest to find. He has bright yellow hair and wears a garish orange track suit. Can't miss him," Ren said. The bird nodded and took off.

A few hours later, the bird found Ren practicing kata with a bokken. He landed on the end of the wooden sword as Ren settled into a finished stance. "Ren-san, I have located Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki. They are at the post station outside the village. There seems to be something going on. They may need help," Washitoru reported. "Thank you, Washitoru-san. You can return to the aerie or accompany me if you wish," Ren told the raptor. "I prefer to stay here for a while." "Alright, just try to stay on my bokken," Ren said, setting off with the eagle perched on the end if his bokken, which he carried slung over his shoulder as he ran to the post station.

When he arrived, he heard a loud, ominous chirping sound from a nearby hotel. Washitoru, who had decided to follow by air shortly after Ren began running due to the jostling he and his perch experienced, followed him on the wing as he sprinted towards the source of the bird-like sound. "Why are you rushing?" Washitoru asked as he descended to fly beside Ren. "Sasuke is using chidori. That means something big is happening, and he may need help," Ren explained as he ran, nimbly dodging people and obstacles. When he arrived, the situation was in a stalemate, with Naruto being watched by a blue-skinned and haired man with cheek-gills and a bandaged sword wearing a black cloak with red clouds while Sasuke was held by the unmistakable Itachi Uchiha, who wore the same robe as the blue one. Ren skidded to a halt, not sure how to proceed, simply resting his hand on Mizuchi's tsuka in a iaijutsu posture. However, his participation was never required, as Jiraiya arrived and the cloaked missing-nin left, though the blue one seemed reluctant. Ren sighed and removed his hand from Mizuchi. He left without saying a word, unnoticed, deep in thought. 'I was too slow to do anything, and too weak to have an impact if I did take part. My teammates may have died, an I would have been powerless,' Ren thought, hand clenching into a fist as he walked back towards Konoha. He looked down at his hand. 'No more. I will not let my own weakness hold me back or put my team in jeopardy.' When Ren looked up, he had a look of cold determination on his face. Washitoru, who had stars silent, observing this look, decided to return to the aerie, as he had no reason to remain and saw that Ren was deep in thought.

A week later Ren was on Team 7's training field, fight against five water clones. Normally, water clones were unsuitable for sparring, but when put on a source of water they became significantly more robust. The mizu bunshin were using their copies of Mizuchi, which, while inferior to the original, were very capable of dealing lethal damage. Ren also had the added disadvantage of weights which he had picked up to improve his speed and strength. Combined, it was a brutal training regime bordering on insane. His clash with the clones was cut short, however, by a female ANBU appearing at the edge of the water. With a savage series of brutal, underhanded techniques Ren eliminated the clones and walked over to the cat-masked ANBU, sheathing Mizuchi as he did so.

"You have been summoned by the council. I've been sent to collect you," she said, her voice cold. Ren nodded to the purple-haired agent who grabbed his shoulder in a painful vise-like grip and used a shunshin to take him to the council chambers. Once Cat had dropped him outside the doors, Ren strode in. He bowed to the council and stood waiting for them to speak, standing in a relaxed posture, left hand resting on Mizuchi's kashira (essentially a cap on the end of the hilt since Japanese swords lack pommels). Danzo Shimura, a heavily bandaged man who had been the Sandaime's teammate, rose to his feet. "Thank you for coming. By majority vote based upon your performance in the recent exams and the subsequent invasion, the the council has decided that you have earned the rank of Chunin in the ninja corps of Konohagakure no Sato. Do you accept this promotion?" The aged man said, his voice grave and serious. "I accept this elevation to Chunin. I wish to thank this council for this honor," Ren replied, straightening up and bowing again. "With this new rank you are now able to take the Senju Clan's seat on the council. Do you wish to do so?" Danzo asked the white-haired genin. "I cannot in good conscience accept your generous offer, as the seat is still in the possession of Tsunade Senju, as she is still the Clan Head despite her absence. According to the regulations laid out when the council was formed, only a Clan head may take a seat on the shinobi council," Ren replied. "Very well. You are dismissed. I will have an aide escort you to my office to get your flak jacket."

Ren left the room and as he got outside he was met by a ninja with a blank facial expression. "Danzo-sama set me to escort you, Senju-san," the ninja said. "Very well," Ren said, and with that Danzo's aide and he vanished in shunshin. They arrived in a office with spartan furnishings where Danzo sat behind a large desk. "You are dismissed," the elder said, prompting the aide to leave. "Welcome, Senju-san. I have your vest here and also an offer. If you wish, I will train you in the shinobi arts," the elderly ninja asked. "No thank you, Danzo-sama. I do not feel that it would be right to do so when you and the council are required to manage the village," Ren replied. "Your devotion to the village is laudable. The offer will stand, however, should you change your mind at any point in the future. I will have an aide show you out," Danzo said. "No need, Danzo-san," Ren replied, performing his signature mist shunshin. "A talented young man. I can only hope his potential doesn't go to waste."


	12. Chapter 12

Naruto != mine

~Chapter 12~

Ren reappeared outside his clan compound carrying his chunin flak vest. He looked at it and shrugged, deciding to wear it the next day. He went in and hung his flak jacket up before heading into the clan libraries. Ren then headed to the clan library. He was looking through a section he had never entered before when he noticed something. It was a pair of rather recent scrolls from the time when the Yondaime Hokage was in power. They were alliance agreements with Iwa and Kumo which had a unique twist. His father, as acting head of the Senju clan in Tsunade's absence, had volunteered his young son for political marriage. As the scion of one of Konoha's founding clans, Ren was considered to be a prime candidate. "Great. I already fall under the Clan Restoration Act, and now I am already betrothed to two women. Fantastic," Ren said bitterly, running a hand through his hair. "I need to clear my head." Ren went down into the cellar and got himself one of many bottles of sake which were stored there. "Here's to the wonders of political marriage," Ren said, pouring himself a saucer and tossing it back, the first of many to come that night.

Ren awoke the next morning dehydrated, with a splitting headache and a strong urge to hide from the bright light of the sun. He had finished off the entire bottle of sake, so he was not entirely surprised by the hangover. However, thanks to his advanced control over his suiton affinity, he had a solution. By kneading his chakra into water, he was able to rehydrate himself much faster than normal. Feeling some of his symptoms start to ease Ren got up and prepared for daily training. When he arrived he found that the training ground was abandoned. There was, however, a tan dog with a white streak on its muzzle. The dog was unique in the fact that it wore a blue vest and had a Konoha hitai-ate hanging around his neck. A face-shaped design made of characters was on the back of the vest and the dog also wore a pair of sunglasses. "Yo. Are you one of Kakashi-san's students?" The dog barked at him. "Yes. Ren Senju. Are you one of Sensei's ninken?" the white-haired clan heir asked. "You got it, pup. Name's Akino." "Pleased to meet you, Akino-san." "Likewise. Anyway, Kakashi-san has me waiting here to tell you that since he is in the hospital after a run-in with Itachi Uchiha, team training is off for a week." "Thanks for the info, Akino-san," Ren said as he left, looking contemplative. "Well, since I still need training, I guess I may take Danzo's offer after all," he mused aloud. "Oh well, here goes," Ren said, going towards Danzo's office in one of the buildings which branched off of the central tower where the Hokage's offices were located. He was allowed in by the secretary without delay, so he walked in and bowed to the elder. "After some consideration, Danzo-sama, I wish to take you up on your offer of training." "Very well, follow me," the elder replied, rising to his feet with the assistance of his cane.

The aged Shinobi no Yami led the Senju heir to a secluded training ground behind the Hokage monument. "We will meet here from now on. You will come everyday after your team training is done. I will have an apprentice of mine waiting for you. Once he feels that you are at a high enough level, I will train you personally. For now, I only ask that you keep this to yourself." "Hai, Danzo-sama."

Over the course of a month, Ren trained under various instructors who drilled him in tai-, nin-, ken-, and even genjutsu. He learned a new form of kenjutsu using a double-edged tanto which lacked a point. He had his already good chakra control refined through exercises like leaping between water and a tree trunk, where there was little room for error. There were speed drills using weights, and, later on, weak gravity seals added in. Ren learned well, though, and his skills increased considerably. Eventually, he managed to defeat one of his teachers in a spar while wearing full weights with his gravity seal activated. "Well done, Senju-san. I have nothing left to teach you. You may go home for today. Danzo-sama himself will begin training you tomorrow," the trainer said emotionlessly. All of Ren's instructors had been such, so the Senju was unfazed by the robotic demeanor. "Before you go, Danzo-sama wishes you to have this. Consider it a reward for completing this phase of your training," the instructor said, handing over a sheathed tipless tanto. "Please give Danzo-sama my thanks," Ren said, returning to the Senju compound with his signature mist/water shunshin.

The next day Ren reported to the training ground to be met by Danzo leaning upon his cane. Ren bowed before the veteran of all three Shinobi World Wars. "Danzo-sama," Ren greeted. "Nice to see that You are more punctual than your jonin sensei, Ren-san. However, before we begin, I have a question for you. To what lengths would you go in order to protect Konoha?" Danzo asked, "Would you give your life, your freedom, your honor?" "I would fight to my last breath to protect Konoha, the village founded by my ancestors, and I will sacrifice all that I possess, if need be, to keep my comrades or my ancestor's legacy safe. The village is only strong if it stands by the values upon which it was founded," Ren replied. "A noble goal, but sometimes it is necessary to take extreme action." "I am not saying that extreme action is never to be taken, but betrayal of allies goes against every principle of cooperation and interdependence which maintains the relative peace between the villages. That frail equilibrium is easily disrupted, and selfish or treacherous actions create imbalances that inevitably lead to conflict," Ren countered. Danzo chuckled at the words of the young clan heir. "You would make a good negotiator, Senju-san. However, there is a point at which such idealism becomes a hindrance. The shinobi world has many dark realities lurking below the surface. Are you willing to venture into such shadowy realms?" "Without darkness, light has no meaning. That side of our world is an ugly necessity." "One with which I am intimately familiar. One doesn't receive the moniker Yami no Shinobi without good reason. The purpose for my asking this is because I wanted to ensure that your loyalty and conviction were strong enough. I have no desire to teach a pupil who lacks the will to stand up for their beliefs or will betray the village. Now your training truly begins." Over the course of the next two months, Ren learned just how easy his earlier training had been. Danzo demanded perfection, drilling Ren mercilessly. In addition to improving Ren's physical conditioning, tactics, and stealth, Danzo taught Ren a third style of kenjutsu as well, a uniquely pragmatic discipline which involved dirty tricks and underhanded tactics to win by any means necessary. Ren's skills had grown to such a point that one day, after a brutal training session, he approached Danzo with a question. "Danzo-sama, since I have advanced greatly over the course of these past two months, do you think I should undergo the evaluations required to become a tokubetsu jonin?" Ren asked, a bit nervous. "I would say that you are more than ready. Send in your request through the normal channels and I will make the arrangements."

Ren put in the paperwork the very next day, and two days later he arrived at team training to see a female ANBU with long purple hair in a neko mask waiting there, making his teammates uncomfortable. A katana hung across her back, tsuka protruding over her right shoulder. "Ren Senju. I am here to evaluate you for tokubetsu jonin status in kenjutsu. The test shall take place here in the form of a spar with live blades," she announced in a cold, businesslike tone, drawing her sword. Ren, meanwhile, took an iaijutsu stance, left hand on Mizuchi's saya, thumb pushing up on the tsuba to pop the habaki free from the koguchi, right hand grasping the tsuka, ready to draw. "Very well, Neko-san." Mizuchi was unsheathed and attacking in a flash, razor-sharp blade traveling towards the ANBU's exposed throat. The attack was blocked, but Neko was surprised by the speed of the strike. Ren proceeded to use Hayate's style to attack, only to find that his strikes were blocked as if Neko knew what he would do before he did. He leapt back and summoned a water clone to distract Neko while he executed a Kirigakure no jutsu, blanketing the area with thick fog which he exhaled after kneading his chakra into water. "Suiton: Mikazuki no Mai," Ren declared without emotion. Neko was attacked simultaneously on all sides by copies of Ren, but she managed to avoid the technique by vaulting over him. Seeing that Hayate's style had failed, Ren changed to the style he had learned from Danzo. His stance rose and he held Mizuchi in his right hand only. He crouched low and dragged his hand across the ground, gathering a handful of loose dirt as he sprinted towards Neko.

Neko watched the Senju cautiously as he charged, weapon held at an angle across his body, with his left hand held behind him. She was not entirely unsurprised when his left arm swung out towards her face, hurling his handful of dirt in her face. However, her mask blocked all of the particulates due to both her moving away in reaction to the move and the small size of the eye holes. The move was, however, enough of a distraction for Ren to get close, slashing towards her throat. All he hit was a log from a kawarimi, though. Seeing that Neko now had the initiative, Ren switched to his own style, flipping Mizuchi into reverse grip and going into a defensive stance.

He closed his eyes and called upon a skill he had been practicing in private ever since his first experience with it during the first part of the Chunin exams. He had done some research and found that it was a manifestation of a pseudo-bloodline which was first recorded by his great-grandfather Tobirama Senju. The Nidaime had a sensor-type ability in which he perceived Chakra as vibrations in the ground, which required him to place his hand on the ground in order to use it. Ren, however, registered chakra as if he were in a pool of water. Weak signatures were mere ripples on the pond, while strong signatures left a massive wake. The only disadvantage of it was that Ren had to have his eyes closed, meaning a thrown kunai would catch him unawares and that he could not use chakra lest he be blinded by his own signature. It was by the wake of Neko's movement that Ren was able to track her. "Found you," he said, spinning around and deflecting a helm-breaker which would have left him with two heads. What followed was an interesting contrast in combat philosophies. Neko used an aggressive style which was fast, agile, and acrobatic, using her speed and flexibility to their fullest extent, while Ren's style was defensive, grounded, and fluid, emphasizing the best attributes of the reverse grip. His opponent, who had never gone up against such a style before, was thrown off a bit, since ninja usually used aggressive styles that allowed them to kill their opponent quickly. Ren took advantage of Neko's confusion by launching himself forward, executing a disemboweling slash which only managed to cut through her flak jacket and leave a light, superficial cut. He sprinted away to the pond which was located on the training ground. He arrived at the center of it and formed a single one-handed seal.

Neko arrived not a minute later and saw him waiting for her. "Suiton: Suiryuudan." A large water dragon emerged from the surface and launched itself towards the ANBU. She somersaulted away, which was good, because the dragon's impact reduced the section of tree it hit to splinters, felling it. Ren then dipped the tip of Mizuchi, now in a traditional forward grip, in the water and made another one-handed seal. "Suiton: Daito." He with drew the sword, which now had a six-foot-long blade, extended from its previous three by water. Ren placed both hands on the hilt, which was about ten inches long. He shot forward with a broad, sweeping swing meant to bisect Neko, applying extra chakra to his feet to reduce friction on the water in order to skate across the surface. "Water may not be traditionally as sharp as wind or lightning, but this technique combined with my control allows me to create an edge which is the same width as one water molecule, and the structure is reinforced by my chakra, making it quite deadly despite the fact that the blade is liquid," Ren said coldly, thrusting at Neko with the lengthened blade. "That is enough. You have displayed high jonin-level kenjutsu and high chunin to low jonin skill in suiton ninjutsu. You are more than qualified for the rank of tokubetsu jonin," Neko said, sheathing her katana. "Do you need help with your wound? If you don't get it cleaned and bandaged soon it might get infected," Ren asked her, allowing his water blade to fall, sheathing Mizuchi, and producing a sealing scroll labeled first aid. "If you'd be so kind," the ANBU said, sounding like she was speaking through gritted teeth. She removed her flak vest, rolled up her shirt, and laid back, exposing her well-toned abdomen. "This might sting," Ren warned before applying an antiseptic to a strip of gauze and laying it over the wound, causing her to hiss at the stinging sensation. He then unsealed a roll of bandages and wrapped it around Neko's midsection, covering the dressing, tight enough to put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding, but not so tight that it would restrict her breathing. Once everyone was properly wrapped, Ren tied the bandages off and cut the excess with a set of scissors from the scroll. Neko rolled her shirt back down and put her now-ruined flak jacket back on. "Thank you," Neko said softly, not looking at Ren. "Not a problem. After all, it was my fault," Ren said, blushing slightly and offering her a hand up. They walked back to the memorial stone where Kakashi had Sakura and Sasuke sparring on the side of a tree. "So, Neko-san, how did he do?" Kakashi asked, looking up from his orange-covered smut. "He passed, Kakashi-sempai," Neko said. "You owe me a jutsu, Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke yelled at the cyclopean jonin. Ren's eye twitched at the fact that they were betting on his promotion and he snatched Kakashi's book away, hurling it at Sasuke. "Think fast, Sasuke!" The Uchiha heir reacted by firing a Katon: Housenka which reduced the book to ash. "Nice shot," Ren said before he looked at Kakashi, who had fallen to his knees, eye wide with tears streaming down his face. "Noooo!" "See you tomorrow, I'm running before he snaps out of it," Ren said, disappearing with a shunshin, leaving Neko and his teammates dumbstruck at the sheer audacity of what he just did.

Ren reappeared outside of the Higurashi weapon shop. "Well, now that I'm a tokujo, I think I'll treat myself," Ren said, walking into the shop. He browsed through the shop until he saw something which piqued his interest in the clothing section. It was a navy blue trench coat with a silvery-white lining. He picked it up and tried it on. It fit him a bit loosely, but he would grow into it. It fell to his mid-shin, and had loose sleeves which allowed for free movement. He removed it and took it to the counter which was unmanned. Ren noticed a bell and rang it. "Coming!" came a deep gruff voice. The owner o the voice emerged from the back of the shop wiping his hands on a rag. He was a big, burly man with a bald scalp wearing a blacksmith's apron. "Hello, I'm the owner, Kento. How can I help you?" the tall man asked. "I was wondering if you would took custom orders," Ren replied. "Yes. For clothing, though, you'll have to speak to my wife. Hiko!" Kento said. "Coming," was the reply from a far more melodious voice. The woman from which it originated came into view shortly after. She looked like an older version of her daughter, only her hair was loose instead of formed into buns. "The boy here wants to make a custom order." "What name should I put it under?" the woman asked, producing a notepad. "Ren Senju," Ren replied. Hiko proceeded to take down his specifications for the coat, of which he ordered four, two of each of two versions. She took him into the back and took his measurements. Afterwards he was told that the order would be ready in a few days.

When Ren woke up the the next day, he found that Tsunade and Shizune had returned. Tsunade was in fact staying this time, and becoming the Godaime Hokage. Ren was a bit happy that the compound wouldn't be as empty anymore. He left team training the day of Tsunade's return and went to his training with Danzo. The bandaged old man was waiting for him as always. "Ah, right on time. I am glad to see despite your elevation to tokubetsu jonin you still remember your training. There is one final thing which I wish to teach you. Here is a slip of chakra paper. Even if you have done this before, as you mature and become more powerful secondary affinities become more apparent," Danzo said. Ren pushed his chakra into the paper and, as was to be expected, a good two thirds of the paper became wet, while the remaining third had two reactions: one sixth crumbled, while the other cut itself out. "So, a very strong suiton affinity with secondary affinities for doton and futon. I personally have little proficiency with doton, but I will help you with your futon. Let us begin the first exercise," Danzo said, a small evil grin appearing on his face. Ren would spend the next three days of training sessions attempting mostly fruitlessly to cut leaves with futon chakra in between physical training.

After his training with Danzo three days later, Ren stopped by the Higurashi weapon shop to pick up his coats. He smirked as he examined the work which had been done. On both versions of the coat over the right shoulder there was a set of loops designed to hold his tipless tanto and its sheath, and along the bottom a wave pattern had been added in the same color as the lining. The sleeves of the first were shortened to a little under elbow-length and it was made of lighter material meant for warmer climates. The second coat was heavier, meant for cold weather, with full-length sleeves and a stiffer collar that could be turned up to protect against wind. He paid and thanked the seamstress before heading home, sealing the coats in a scroll for temporary.

The next day, Ren showed up to team training wearing his light coat. It was shut, allowing him to tie on the obi which held Mizuchi. His tipless tanto was over his right shoulder, much like the coats worn by Danzo's subordinates. Kakashi took them to a village near the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Snow and informed them that they had a mission starting the next day, and that they had the day off to prepare. They were also assigned to watch the most recent film of the actress Yukie Fujikaze, as the mission they had been assigned was to protect her during the filming of a new movie in the Land of Snow. Naruto, apparently a fan, grabbed and literally dragged a less-than-enthusiastic Sasuke through the village to the theater at a full sprint with an enraged Sakura in pursuit shouting threats of death and dismemberment at the orange-clad hyperactive blonde. Ren shook his head at the scene, sighed, and followed in a far more dignified manner, running and leaping in trees and on the rooftops of the village, coat flapping behind him.

Team 7 arrived outside of the theater each in their own fashion. Naruto skidded to a halt, Sasuke dragging behind him, only to be knocked down by a savage blow from an irate Sakura due to his rough treatment of her crush. Ren, having decided to go for a more awesome entrance, leapt from above, coat billowing out as he landed in a crouch, left hand resting on Mizuchi's kashira, pushing down to keep the saya at an angle that prevented it from inadvertently striking the ground upon landing. Ren stood up, dusting off his coat. "That was nice, if I do say so myself," he said, walking into the theater with a cocky smirk on his face, seemingly oblivious to his teammates looking on in shock, in addition to, more dangerously, a spontaneously-formed group of fangirls with hearts in their eyes. Once the Senju heir's teammates had recovered, they hurried in to join him.

Ren sat with his teammates, a small stock of snacks bought from the concessions stand stowed in his coat pockets. The movie was a bit formulaic, with a "friendship conquers all" Aesop, but there were some decent moments. Ren also knew that the actress they were protecting, who played the female lead, was well-known in the industry for her talent. Ren left the theater, finishing off the remains of his small cache of snacks, going to meet up with the other members of his team outside since they had been asked to leave (and pelted with random objects by their fellow moviegoers) due to Naruto's exuberant celebration upon the villain's defeat by the heroes' combined efforts. He was cut off on his route by a horse-mounted woman who sped past without so much as word. Hearing the thunderous sound of yet more horses coming from the same directions as the woman, Ren wisely leapt onto the side of a nearby building and pursued her out of curiosity. He ended up tracking her to a bar. Seeing as he was both curious and in need of a drink after watching his team, who joined in mid-chase, beat up some local militia, believing that they were some form of villains. That could cause some trouble that he or Kakashi would have to clear up later. He walked in and took a stool at the bar beside the woman who they had been assigned to protect. "A saucer and a bottle of your best koshu (aged sake), please, bartender," he said as he sat down, getting a nod. As his drink arrived he slightly turned towards the woman next to him, who had already started on a bottle.

"Yukie Fujikaze, I presume?" He asked politely. "Who wants to know?" She replied rudely. "I am Ren Senju, Tokubetsu Jonin of Konohagakure no Sato and heir to the Senju clan, since you asked so nicely," Ren replied sarcastically, tossing back a saucer of the yellowed sake and savoring the honeyed flavor as the aged beverage slid over his tongue and down his gullet. "This is excellent sake. I'll have to look into getting more of it and sealing it," Ren commented, pouring a second saucer. "What are you here, Senju?" Yukie asked coldly. "To provide protection along with my team during the filming of your next movie," Ren replied, sipping his sake. "So you're one of the ninja the director has hired to keep me from running," the woman stated, sounding profoundly melancholic. She was, Ren noted, quite attractive, with light gray eyes and long dark hair which framed her face. "Only for the time it will take to film the scenes in Snow Country. After that, you may run to your heart's content, Fujikaze-san. However, seeing as the mission is to protect you, I will be keeping an eye on you for the present," Ren said in return, tossing back yet another saucer. "I do not want to go to Snow Country," Yukie said in a sullen tone. "And I do not want to be wed to two women I do not know as part of political alliances and the Clan Restoration Act, but I will do my duty nonetheless, despite the fact that the thought is frankly terrifying to me. You have a commitment to see the movie through, and whatever it is that you are afraid of, you must face it just like I will have to face up to my political fiancées when my sixteenth birthday comes knocking two years from now. However, I promise you that I will personally do all I can to help you through this," Ren said, quaffing a saucer of his koshu. "Fine, I'll go. You know, you are quite persuasive. Ever considered a career in acting?" Yukie said, sipping her own saucer of a more common variety of sake. "The thought has never crossed my mind, but if you ever have a role which you need filled contact me," Ren replied. "I'll keep that in mind," the actress said, a small smile making itself present on her face, though that quickly vanished when his team arrived. Ren sighed heavily and quickly tossed back another saucer, much to the shock and outrage of Sakura.

"You shouldn't be drinking! You're still a minor!" the pinkette shouted. "Do be quiet, Sakura-san. All ninja of genin or greater rank are legally adults, and as such are well within their rights to drink. So kindly leave me to enjoy my vice in peace," Ren said, cutting off any further outbursts and defiantly downing a saucer. Naruto, meanwhile, went into fanboy mode and appeared in front of Koyuki requesting an autograph, which she denied. Ren rolled his eyes, foreseeing a long mission ahead.

AN- I hope you liked it. If you have any questions, please PM or review.


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